Boost Home Healthcare Names New President; MedArrive Hires Top Clinical Executive

Boost Home Healthcare names new brand president

Boost Home Healthcare has named Larry Blacker its new brand president.

Boost is a Michigan-based home health provider that offers in-home nursing, therapy and home care services. The company was acquired by The Riverside Company in 2021 and is now part of Best Life Brands.

“Larry comes to us with an extensive background in the home care industry,” Best Life Brands CEO J.J. Sorrenti said in a statement. “His experience will play a key role in continuing to scale the business across the country, allowing us to bring Boost Home Health services to more people.”

Blacker has over two decades of experience in the home care industry, and he will now oversee Boost’s operations and expansion across the country.

Before joining Boost, Blacker most recently served as home care administrator for Seabrook Village in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.

“I look forward to overseeing the growth of Boost and the important work of providing a personalized and safe environment for patients to maintain their independence while receiving the care they need,” Blacker said.

MedArrive hires chief clinical officer

The mobile-integrated care management company MedArrive has named Pater Samuel its new chief clinical officer.

In the new role, Samuel will oversee MedArrive’s home-based clinical programs and help establish clinical protocols and quality standards, among other duties.

MedArrive is an Irving, Texas-based startup that both coordinates and delivers care in the home. 

Before joining MedArrive, Samuel held a number of leadership roles, most recently as the national medical director at DispatchHealth. Samuel also spent more than seven years in clinical leadership roles at US Acute Care Solutions (USACS).

In April, MedArrive raised $8 million more in funding, bringing its funding total to over $40 million since it officially launched in late 2020.

UVMHN Home Health & Hospice names new president, COO

Christine Werneke has been named president and COO of the University of Vermont Health Network Home Health & Hospice.

Werneke previously served the provider Home Health & Hospice for six years in a number of leadership roles before the organization’s affiliation with the UVM Health Network.

Werneke had been filling in on an interim basis for Adrianne Johnson Ross, who stepped down from the role in January.

“Christine’s current and previous service to the patients and people of Home Health & Hospice make her the right person to lead this team forward,” UVM Health Network’s president and CEO Sunny Eappen said in a statement. “Home health and hospice agencies face unique challenges that impact the entire health care system, and I am confident that Christine is bringing the day-to-day compassion, experience and innovation that will be vital to ensure we are providing the highest quality care for our patients and families and the best working environment for our staff.”

Werneke will be leading the organization that has been providing care for more than 100 years.

“Home Health & Hospice is deeply committed to serving our community members,” Werneke said in a statement. “I am committed to promoting a culture of service, safety, respect and trust and honored to continue the legacy of this organization for providing exceptional care for our neighbors. This is an exciting step forward and I am proud to take it with my colleagues by my side.”

WelbeHealth announces two leadership moves

WelbeHealth, the California-based Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organization, has added two industry veterans to its leadership team. Dr. Michael Le will serve as WelbeHealth’s chief medical officer, while Bindu Purushothaman will serve as chief information officer.

Le has had a distinguished career in home-based care. Most recently, he served as chief medical officer of Optum Home and Community Care. Before that, Le co-founded and served as CMO of Landmark Health.

“Revolutionizing how we care for the most vulnerable in our diverse communities is what inspires and motivates me,” Le said in a statement.

Purushothaman comes from Satellite Health, where he also served as chief information officer. Prior to that job, he held roles at HealthCare Partners, Davita Medical Group and Optum.

WelbeHealth is a PACE operator that launched in 2015. It delivers services to its PACE members across California, including the cities of Stockton, Modesto, Pasadena, Long Beach and Fresno.

ProMedica appoints new CFO

ProMedica has named Terry Metzger as its new chief financial officer.

The Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica is a nonprofit health system that recently sold its home-based care and hospice capabilities. There are 12 hospitals, more than 2,500 physicians, a health plan, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing centers and more under the ProMedica umbrella.

Gentiva – the company comprising the hospice and personal home care assets of what was formerly Kindred at Home – acquired ProMedica’s Heartland home health and hospice assets for $710 million in February.

Before joining ProMedica, Metzger most recently served as the system chief operating officer at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis.

“We are pleased to welcome Terry to our team as chief financial officer,“ ProMedica President and CEO Arturo Polizzi said in a statement. “Given his extensive experience in health care, insurance and technology, we are highly confident he will play a key role in driving our financial strategy forward and positioning our organization for greater stability and success.”