Judy Connelly believes her job is an honor.

“I love what I do,” said Connelly, director of patient care services at the VNA Hospice in Butler.

“I love that my community has this. I love that I get to share this and teach about it so people can know and understand it.”

Hospice care is given at the end of a person's life. It provides care for psychosocial, bereavement and medical needs.

The goal is to make someone comfortable and improve quality of life at the end of life. Relieving symptoms without curing the disease is part of hospice care.

“Sometimes people stay for only a few hours,” said Connelly of the hospice facility. “Sometimes they stay for five or six days and then go home. Sometimes they return when their symptoms change.”

Once a person qualifies for hospice, the cost is covered by Medicare and insurance. Ultimately, hospice saves millions of health care dollars.

“It's the only care that treats the family as well,” Connelly said.

Now beginning her 20th year with the VNA Hospice, Connelly's upbringing, skills and interests are a great match for the job. Yet, she gives others credit for her success.

“I am not the boss. I am one of the team, “ said Connelly. “I cannot do anything without my team members. It's fun and rewarding to work that way.”

The facility resembles a boutique hotel. The softly lit hallways are curved rather than straight. The 12 private suites have cheerful decorating schemes. Each includes a fold-out couch so someone can stay overnight as needed. The calm and quiet of the hospice is noticeable.

“There are no bells or loudspeakers,” Connelly said.

Even though the individual guest rooms are spacious, there are several furnished lounges to provide the space families need. One area includes toys for children.

“It's to be like your home and it's better than many homes,” Connelly said.

On a daily basis, Connelly talks with patients, families and staff to meet the needs of patients and families facing serious illness.

She juggles many regulations and demands, and has a number of financial responsibilities.

Connelly also said she wants to find moments of humor which “are important every day as well.”

VNA hospice care in Butler began in 1981 and has served 12,000 patients and guests in hospital beds and in their own homes. The inpatient hospice building opened in May 2010 and has served more than 1,200 people and about 120,000 family members.

“People are so grateful,” said Connelly.

Connelly learned about the 1997 Class of Leadership Butler County from the VNA which is supportive of continuing education.

“What I love about any learning environment is the people I share it with, their experiences and learning from them,” Connelly said.

The leadership program's speakers helped Connelly better understand the connections and relationships in the Butler community.

“Connecting the dots is important when you are a leader,” said Connelly.

“In the program you learn a lot about Butler County and fit that into a business mindset,” she said. For example, the class learned more about the workforce and the population served in the county.

Part of the program involved group problem solving situations. This particularly fostered relationships between class members.

“The program gave us the tools and their blessing to be different,” said Connelly. “That affirmed my aspirations to push beyond and be better.”

She witnesses many examples of leadership through her service to the community. Connelly serves as a member of the board of directors for both the Pennsylvania Hospice Network and the Community Health Clinic of Butler County. Connelly is on the Advisory Committee for LaRoche School of Nursing and is a member of the Butler County Health Care Consortium.

“With leadership you become a resource,” said Connelly. “Leaders are intrinsically rewarded and are fed by others' success.”

Connelly grew up in Butler and first worked in her family's business, and the family was involved in the community.

“My family was very accepting of all human beings,” said Connelly. “I'm very grateful for that.

“My greatest mentor was my mother, Janie McKain. She was constantly encouraging goodness and greatness in everyone. She saw that in everyone.

“She taught us to be passionate and fearless in what we believed in.”

Connelly graduated from Villa Maria High School.“Villa Maria was also a tremendous gift,” said Connelly. “It had a broad curriculum and was accepting of the individuality of its students.“The nuns were cool and fun,” she said.They also influenced her career. When some nuns took a college course on the psychology of death and dying, they invited Connelly and a few other students to take the course with them.Connelly's compassionate inclinations were a good fit with health care. She received her bachelor's in nursing from Boston College.In 1980, when Connelly was working at Butler Memorial Hospital, she was asked to attend hospice training in Pittsburgh. Working in a dialysis center later on was good preparation for hospice work, she said, because she followed patients and their families for long periods of treatment.“I loved the psychosocial aspects and talking to them about their lives,” Connelly said.Work at the then-Butler VA Medical Center and graduate school came next. She received her master's in nursing administration at Pitt.When commuting to Pitt, she often shared the ride with Jean Taggart. Two years later, it was Taggart who alerted Connelly to the job at the VNA Hospice.“Jean Taggart was a wonderful mentor,” said Connelly. “She taught me a million things. She taught me all about hospice. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for her.”Connelly also cites former VNA Hospice CEO Kristy Wright, as a wonderful mentor.“She supported creative thought and thinking beyond the obvious,” said Connelly.That reinforced Connelly's way of working, and Connelly characterizes the VNA Hospice staff as creative and intuitive.“When you empower people and trust them, it's amazing,” Connelly said. “I'm entrusting them, but I'm assuming responsibility.”Connelly recognizes that attitude is part of taking care of employees so they stay and continue to give great quality of care and service.The job allows Connelly to be a mentor too and to watch people grow. She fosters an environment where employees are integral to success.They are the immediate link with guests and their families, and the staff members are the ones that help move people through the process of dying.“Focus on the people you serve. Respect who they are and where they are,” said Connelly.That encapsulates her philosophy of care for VNA Hospice guests.“We cannot impose our beliefs on them,” said Connelly. “They bring their whole life with them when they come here.”Not just for the hospice. Clearly, this is key to what continues to make her a leader, in any setting.

<B>Age:</B> 55<B>Address: </B>Butler<B>Family: </B>Two daughters, one son<B>Job:</B> Director of patient care services<B>Company: </B>VNA Hospice, 154 Hindman Road, Butler<B>What company does:</B> VNA offers hospice care focused on providing comfort and support in the individual’s home or an inpatient setting.<B>Employees:</B> 100<B>Community leadership: </B>Board of directors of the Community Health Clinic of Butler County, advisory committee for LaRoche School of Nursing, and member of the Butler County Health Care Consortium.<B>LEADERSHIP IS: </B>“Those I think of as leaders led with compassion for others and loved their ‘work.’ I could only hope to achieve this on a routine basis.”<B>INSPIRATION:</B>Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Madeleine Albright and Ursula Burns