Nadine Shand Paitich '78 Named Home Care Executive for Health East

Nadine Shand Paitich M '78, with a nursing degree from St. Mary's College of Nursing (now part of the College of St. Catherine), has been named the Home Care Executive for HealthEast -- the largest, locally-owned health care organization in the Twin Cities’ East Metro. This community-health based, non-profit system includes Bethesda Hospital, St. John’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Woodwinds Health Campus as well as outpatient services, clinics, pharmacies, home care and transportation services.

"It's both an honor and a privilege to lead this group of exceptional home health care providers," Shand Paitich states. Her time will be spent developing and delivering initiatives that improve quality measures, reflect best practices, and help address community health challenges. “Our country’s demographics are changing—people are living longer and trying to remain vital, often while managing chronic conditions,” observes Shad Paitich. “HealthEast is committed to offering effective programs that help individuals live independently for as long as possible.”

Has Handled A Variety of Leadership Roles
Shand Paitich, a 16-year veteran of HealthEast, has served for thirteen of those years in the Home Care division. She assumed a variety of leadership roles focused on quality improvement, clinical services and specialty care, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel University, St. Paul. Since January 2007, she has been Health East's Clinical Director, responsible for its overall financial, operational and patient care operations.

Now she will bring this expertise to the system's home health care operations. HealthEast Home Care provides a wide array of services including nursing care, rehabilitation services, infusion therapy pharmacy, wound care, and perinatal programs and the HealthAlert emergency response system. The team (comprised of 180 part- and full-time health care professionals) serves an average of more than 450 clients a day.
Collaborating with Legislative Leaders for Better Home Care
Shand Paitich noted that she will also direct the Home Care Division of HealthEast in continuing to collaborate with legislative leaders in identifying priorities on home care issues, such as reimbursement rates (to keep pace with inflation) and technology usage (which can reduce hospitalizations and efficiently use limited resources).

Cathy Barr, former senior director of HealthEast Home Care and currently vice president of HealthEast Community Based Services, said, “After working with Nadine for the past nine years, I am confident that she will provide exceptional leadership as we move patient care and quality outcomes to the next level and continue our path to excellence.”