May 21, 2008 > Two appointed to Leadership Council for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r) Two appointed to Leadership Council for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r) Submitted By Megan Carella Felica Stenson, of Fremont, and Keri Wheeler, of Danville, have been inducted as members of the prestigious VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r) Leadership Council. As Representatives for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r) of San Francisco Bay, Stenson and Wheeler educate physicians and healthcare facility professionals about the benefits of hospice care for patients with life-limiting diagnoses. Stenson joined VITAS in 1997 as a receptionist, then patient care secretary in its Los Angeles & Ventura County program. She assumed her current role in 2005. She received a bachelor's degree from California State University in Los Angeles. Wheeler joined VITAS in 2007 after an 18 year career in the staffing industry, where she most recently served as vice president of marketing and sales for a San Francisco-based company. She received a bachelor's degree from California State University in Hayward. The VITAS Leadership Council recognizes a select group of top performing managers and patient advocates who embody the company's mission and values and possess the vision, energy and commitment to succeed. Recipients have met specific key performance indicators that contribute to the success of the organization. VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r), a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is one of the nation's largest providers of end-of-life care. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 44 hospice programs in 16 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin).