Known for her expertise in pediatric end-of-life care, Catherine “Cathie” Faulkner, RN, MSN joined the Regional Hospice and Palliative Care (RHPC) team earlier this year, in the role of Pediatric Clinical Manager/Liaison. In this position, she will use her breadth and depth of experience to support the RHPC population of terminally ill children and their families.
Working alongside the Regional Hospice interdisciplinary team of social workers, chaplains, home health aides and volunteers, Faulkner will serve as a critical resource for families as they navigate the complex journey of pediatric end-of-life care. Faulkner explains that this is not a well-traveled road. “I help people walk this path,” she says. “I’m with them at every step, educating and empowering them through each phase of the process. We navigate it together.”
A graduate of Columbia University in multiple disciplines—nursing, religion, pediatric pulmonary care and marketing management—Faulkner has held progressively executive positions within the healthcare industry throughout her career. For the past 11 years, she has specialized in pediatric hospice.
“As we move forward in our commitment to caring for children at the end stage of life, we are incredibly grateful to have Cathie with us,” says Cynthia Emiry Roy, Regional Hospice and Palliative Care President & CEO. “Her grace, expertise and strength translate into the right kind of combination to help our young patients and their families.”
When asked how she manages to work with dying children, Faulkner shakes her head and smiles. “No one wants to lose a child, but people do,” she says. “If a family invites me in to share this space with them, and in some small way I can smooth the edges, I want to be there. Someone has to be there.”