By Bill Wertman, CEO, Big Bend Hospice
At Big Bend Hospice, we believe that compassionate care begins with extraordinary people. For more than 40 years, we have walked beside our neighbors across the Big Bend region, offering comfort, dignity, and meaning in life’s final chapters. That mission is only possible because of the remarkable team behind it: from the nurses and aides at the bedside to our counselors, chaplains, volunteers, and the leaders who guide our vision forward.
I am proud to share the news of two significant additions to our leadership team: Joel Garr, our new Chief Information Officer, and Heather Reynolds, our new Chief Financial Officer. These are not just hires. They are investments in the future of Big Bend Hospice.
Joel brings with him a strategic, systems-based approach to innovation. His dual role, spanning both Big Bend Hospice and our affiliate Seven Oaks Health, reflects our growing need for smart technology solutions that support patients, protect privacy, and make our services more accessible and efficient.
Heather arrives with deep experience in nonprofit financial management and a heart for mission-driven work. Her leadership will ensure that we steward every donor dollar wisely, grow sustainably, and expand our reach while remaining anchored in our community values.
As the only locally owned, nonprofit hospice serving the Big Bend, we hold ourselves to a different standard. We are not here to answer to shareholders. We are here to answer to our patients, our families, and our neighbors. That focus on high-quality, community-centered care is what sets us apart from larger, for-profit providers. And it is only possible when you have the right people in the right places.
Our leadership team is among the strongest I have seen in any organization. They are united not by titles, but by shared conviction. They lead with integrity and serve with humility. But they are just part of a larger story. That story is written every day by the hospice nurse who responds to a call at 2 a.m., by the chaplain who sits quietly at a bedside, by the music therapist who brings joy with a familiar melody, and by the social worker who guides a family through unimaginable decisions.
Leadership, to us, means being present. It means listening. It means finding new ways to bring comfort to those who need it most, even when no one is watching.
In a time when healthcare is becoming increasingly impersonal, Big Bend Hospice remains rooted in something more human. More lasting. More local.
We are building a team that will carry this mission into the next 40 years, not just with the tools of modern medicine, but with the timeless power of empathy.
If you have ever been touched by hospice care, you know it is not about giving up. It is about showing up. And thanks to the team we are building, Big Bend Hospice will keep showing up for every patient, every caregiver, every time.