SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Linda Rock, executive director of Prairie Haven Hospice, was elected vice-chair of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and began her term in January at the organization’s first national meeting of 2013.

Rock has represented the Central Plains Geographic Area on the NHPCO board of directors for six years. She has served in a variety of leadership capacities on the board. As vice-chair she will continue to serve on the executive committee. In addition, she will chair the Public Policy committee and also serve on the board of the Hospice Action Network.

“I want to recognize Linda Rock, our incoming board vice chair. I look forward to hearing her bold voice this year, especially on behalf of the many important issues affecting small and rural providers,” said Ron Fried, NHPCO Board Chair.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is the largest nonprofit leadership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. The organization is committed to improving end of life care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for people dying in America and their loved ones.

Rock joined Regional West Medical Center as coordinator of Hospice Services in 1986 and became the executive director of Prairie Haven Hospice in Scottsbluff in 1997. She has served on the Regional West Medical Center Bioethics committee and is past chairperson of the Scotts Bluff County End of Life Care Coalition. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Rock is a member of the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership, and served as president of the Nebraska Hospice Association from 1996-2000. In 2005, she was awarded the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership Shining Star Award, and in 2012 she received the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association’s State Impact Award.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,800 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, Regional West offers care that spans more than 30 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by The Joint Commission and is one of three Level II Trauma Centers in Nebraska.