Executive Leadership Team
Brenda S. Ho, MS, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Brenda oversees and is responsible for the overall daily management and administration of Hawai‘i
Care Choices. Under the general direction of the board of directors and in accordance with policies
set forth by the board, she has full authority over the approved budget and the hospice program.
Brenda’s exceptional leadership has led our organization from a small agency serving an annual
census of 40 patients in 1990, to an organization with an average annual census of over 800 patients
in 2017. Under her visionary leadership, we opened the first neighbor island in-patient care center in
2012.
Brenda’s genuine warmth and deep desire to help others extends beyond what she does for Hawai‘I
Care Choices. She serves on the board of Kokua Mau (the state-wide Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization) and on the Hawai‘i County Mayor’s Healthcare Sustainability Taskforce.She also served
as Vice-Chair of the Hawai‘i Healthcare System Corporation’s East Hawai‘i Regional Board, finishing
her term in 2014. She is President of the South Hilo Rotary Club, a member of Hawai‘i Island Chamber
of Commerce and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is a long standing Weinberg
Association Fellow, graduating from the program in 1993.
When a leader has clear vision, it is a gift. When a leader has a warm heart, it is inspiring.
We are blessed that Brenda has both.
Shirley S. Dellinger, MHRM
Director of Human Resources & Accounting
Shirley is responsible to the CEO for the leadership, development, coordination, and management of the business operations, financial affairs, and human resource activities as well as related operational activities. She serves on and works in collaboration with the senior management team. Her duties include overseeing:
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Human Resources
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Accounting Processes
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Facility Maintenance
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Special Projects
Joining our team in 2000, Shirley comes to us with a background in accounting and human resources. She has a Bachelors degree in Accounting and Business as well as a Masters in Human Resources. Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Shirley is passionate about the work she does for Hawai‘i Care Choices knowing that it makes a difference in the community by touching lives with compassionate care. She had the opportunity to witness the positive impact of palliative and hospice care from the family’s perspective when her father became ill and was cared for by the hospice team. “It only increased my passion for supporting the work that is so urgently needed." Hospice provided physical, emotional, social and spiritual support to the whole family in a time of need. "I’m honored to be a member of the team working in collaboration with deeply compassionate people."
Jeanene “Helene” Andrew,
Director of Clinical Services
Helene joins HAWAII CARE CHOICES with broad experience
in Acute Care, as well as Community –Based Care.
Helene provides strong leadership and management oversight of all Clinical Team services for the organization’s palliative, hospice, and bereavement programs. Helene ensures team members are operating following ethical and health regulation standards, have an understanding of hospice care service and documentation requirements, and have a safe and supportive work environment to conduct their work. She also ensures the proper evaluation, management and implementation of clinical service processes and procedures to meet patient needs and maintain a streamlined and efficient workflow.
As a Registered Nurse of 17 years, 10 of those years Helene has been a leader to both Hospice and Home Health teams. Helene comes to us with experience in leadership roles that include Hospice Administrator at Intermountain Homecare and Hospice, and most recently as a Clinical Leader at Bayada Home Health Care in Hilo, Hawaii.
Helene is passionate about Zero Harm –Patient and Workforce Safety in Health Care, Clinical Quality, Publicly reported Measures and impacting others to enhance their professional journey.
Lynda Dolan, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Dolan provides direction and has overall responsibility for all medical aspects of patient care program. She is part of the Interdisciplinary Team and elicits the support and cooperation of attending physicians in providing care for the general medical needs of Hawai‘i Care Choices'patients as related to their serious and life-limiting illnesses. She also meets the general needs of the patients to the extent that these needs are not being met by the attending physician. Some of her duties include:
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Reviewing patient eligibility for services
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Participating in developing and revising patient’s plan of care
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Serving as liaison between Hawai‘i Care Choices and the medical community
Dr. Dolan’s association with Hawai‘i Care Choices began in 1999 and in 2009 she became our Medical Director, guiding our Interdisciplinary Team forward in providing a superior level of comfort care for families facing end-of-life issues. She remains steady and calm, building bridges between palliative/hospice professionals and physicians as she holds the hands and hearts of family members who watch their loved ones transition.
Lori Jordan, BA, ACHE
Director of Organizational Excellence & Advancement
Lori provides oversight for the organization’s compliance, quality, and safety programs. Her responsibilities include the leadership and management of the overall adherence to quality assurance and performance improvement; compliance with industry laws and regulations, standards of practice and protected health information; safety management and emergency preparedness; and education related to these areas to promote and maintain the highest level of organizational excellence.
Lori is originally from Southeast Tennessee and has lived in Hawaii for 22 years. She has over 30 years of experience in non-profit healthcare management and currently serves on the Regulatory Committee of the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). She is an Advanced Certified Hospice Executive, served on the state hospice and palliative care association, Kokua Mau Board of Directors for nine years and President for four of those years (2015-2019). Lori is a 2012 graduate of the Hawai`i Community Foundation’s PONO Leadership Program, a Weinberg Fellow Alumni from the Class of 2001, and winner of the 2016 AIM For Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in nonprofit management.
When not working, she is most likely watching old movies, reading inspirational books, or simply relaxing on the beach and philosophizing with friends, noting “I’m about creating heaven on earth and how we are doing that consciously every day.”