HPCCR Celebrates Jill Martino, Mecklenburg County Community Social Worker of the Year Recipient

This years Mecklenburg County Social Worker of the Year award was awarded to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region's very own, Jill Martino. Jill has been a Social Worker with HPCCR since January 15, 2007 and currently works on the HART South Team.

In her role as a hospice social worker, Jill is a multifaceted advocate for her patients and their families with care that is tailored to each specific situation. Her years of experience have helped her become a knowledgeable resource for families looking to move a family member or families needing specific services. Jill recognizes the specific needs of patients who are veterans and helps provide pinning ceremonies to acknowledge their years of service. She plays songs or shows pictures of favorite places to her patients to remind them of days gone by. During the height of the pandemic, Jill made window visits to her patients. She has also started making fingerprint pendants and keychains with her patients. Jill went so far as to bring one patient a favorite meal for their birthday. These actions have become priceless memories for family members. She receives many thank you notes from families expressing their gratitude for her care of their loved ones. The gratitude for the fingerprint keepsakes has been overwhelming.

Along with managing a case load of hospice patients, Jill is the Chairperson of the Ethics Committee at HPCCR. In the role of chairperson, she recruits and manages the membership of the committee, including the orientation and onboarding of all new committee members. Last year she helped create a new organizational referral form for ethics case referrals. This has streamlined the process for employees to get an ethics consult. Jill has provided education to the leadership body and staff on the purpose and value of the ethics committee. Jill is responsible for organizing and facilitating quarterly meetings and all meetings for ethical consults. The ethical consult request often requires last minute meetings and schedule changes. She is flexible and responds expeditiously to these requests. She has shown excellent leadership skills by encouraging the ethics committee members to participate and help educate one another during the quarterly meetings. She has also done education for the committee and has provided education to the various hospice team on moral distress. Her efforts have been instrumental in reviving the ethics committee within the organization. Jill has a good understanding of how ethical issues in an end-of-life healthcare setting can be overwhelming to team members. Her work on the ethics committee has provided much needed support to the clinical teams.

Thank you, Jill, for all you do for our patients, their families, and our community!

Congratulations on your well-deserved achievement!