Columbus Hospice names new president/CEO

Donna Morgan can remove the interim tag.

Columbus Hospice of Georgia and Alabama announced Tuesday that Morgan has been appointed as the new president/CEO.

She has served in an interim role since Sept. 17, 2017 following the retirement of Mike Smajd.

Columbus Hospice provides care to terminally ill patients in 16 counties.

Morgan has been part of the Columbus Hospice team for 23 years and previously held the position of chief operating officer and senior vice president of clinical operations.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this hospice which I have loved for more than 23 years,” she said in a news release.

A North Carolina native, Morgan has a nursing degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University. She is an Army veteran.

Morgan began work at Columbus Hospice after serving at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

There, she work in the bone marrow transplant division of the oncology department.

“Many people there are not going to survive. I found I could talk with people about life choices. I was not afraid to go into a room and talk with them, telling them no more surgery could be done to help them, that there are no more drugs, that their time is drawing close. I took it seriously. I showed I care about them,” she said in a 2015 interview.

That work has helped at the hospice. She said being part of end-of-life care is an honor and a privilege.

“Whether directly caring for a patient, or through leadership, I have realized that it is by invitation that I am in the lives of these patients and I respect and honor that privilege,” she said. “ Hospice care is not depressing work. Even with the tears, there are joys and laughs with patients and their families.”

Asked about leading a large team of workers and volunteers, she said, “It is important to select the right people for the job and give them support.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2018 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Columbus Hospice names new president/CEO."