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Grinnell Regional Hospice is a department of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, located at 306 Fourth Ave., Grinnell, IA 50112.

For more information, e-mail using the link below or call Grinnell Regional Hospice at 641-236-2418.

Hospice services are not intended to take the place of care by the family but rather to support them.

Hospice Team

Contact the Volunteer Coordinator
Grieving a Loss
11 informational articles
Hospice Team (Photos Coming Soon)
Planning Ahead
End of Life Wishes

Suzanne L. Cooner, Vice-President of Operations & Interim Director of Hospice

Suzanne Cooner, RN, MS, is the vice-president of operations at Grinnell Regional Medical Center and is serving as the interim director of hospice. She has more than 24 years of experience in the healthcare field primarily in hospital administration with a specific focus in the areas of service quality, leadership development, grant writing, and program development. Before coming to Grinnell, Cooner was the CEO of Devereux Hospital and Neurobehavioral Institute in Houston, Texas.

Cooner has served on the board of directors for the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce. She also serves as the project director for the international "Well Communities" project.

A native of Conesville, Iowa, Cooner is married to Russell and they have one adult daughter.

Debby Cooper

Debby has been involved with hospice since 2003 when she completed volunteer training and became active as a hospice volunteer. In 2004 she became the hospice volunteer coordinator. Debby is married to Brent and they have one daughter, Megan. Debby enjoys matching volunteers to the needs of patients and their families.

Sheena Huls

Sheena is the administrative assistant for Grinnell Regional Hospice. She has been with Hospice since 2005. She graduated from Grinnell High School in 2003 and received her AAS in Office Administration from Marshalltown Community College in 2005. She is married to Justin and they have one son, Trenten. Being a new mom, Trenten keeps her busy and she enjoys watching him grow into a big boy.

Patti Marsho, RN

Patti is one of Grinnell Regional Hospice’s full-time nurses. She has worked with hospice now for 2 years and truly enjoys getting to know the people she works with. She was born and raised in Wisconsin, but has been happy to call Grinnell home for the past 25 years. Patti is the mother of three boys and is married to Tim. She especially enjoys spending time with her “boys” and her goldendoodle, Marly.

Michelle Reitzler, RN

Michelle has been a nurse for 30 years. She joined the GRMC team in 1987 and has been with hospice for 3 years. Born and raised east of Grinnell, she and her husband Dennis have four children (Zach, Jaimee, Colby, and Ashley). She is also a proud grandma of five (four girls and one boy).
 
~I am so thankful and feel so blessed to be a part of the hospice team caring for our patients and their loved ones.~

Susan Leathem Sanning

Susan is the Chaplain and Spiritual Care Coordinator for Grinnell Regional Medical Center and Hospice. She received both her Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey as well as completing her PhD coursework in Religion and Women’s studies at Drew University. She coordinates the spiritual care provided by the hospital and, as requested, provides direct spiritual care for hospice patients and their caregivers. In her spare time Susan enjoys spending time tending to the critters on her small farm and attending her children’s many activities. Susan is married to Erik Sanning and is the proud mother of Katherine and Maile.

Tracy Stanford, RPH

Tracy is a registered pharmacist working at the GRMC pharmacy. She has been involved with Hospice since 1997, serving as a consultant pharmacist and on the board from 1999 to 2003. She graduated from Grinnell High School long ago and from the University of Iowa five years after that. She is married to Barry, and they have two great sons, Nick and Brody.

Randy Svendsen, LBSW, MACM

Randy is a graduate of both the University of Northern Iowa with a B.A. in Social Work and Trinity International University with a M.A. in Counseling Ministries. He has worked as a Social Worker for 10 years primarily in the hospital and Hospice setting, as well as counseling children and families. He and his wife, Donna, have four children. Randy enjoys spending time with his family and yard work. At work his greatest pleasure is helping people through the end of life and connecting them with the resources they need.
Rick Van Cleve, PharmD

Rick has been a pharmacist at Grinnell Regional Medical Center since 2007. He received his degree in pharmacy from the University of Iowa in 2006 and completed a residency at the Nebraska Medical Center focusing on pediatrics, neonatology and chemotherapy. Prior to his recent change to a career in pharmacy, he received a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and was a computer programmer working with small town city governments across Iowa. Rick and his wife Laura came to Grinnell in 1997 with their two daughters where he was a stay-at-home dad for the ‘toddler years.’

Sara Wray, RN

Sara is a registered nurse and has been with Grinnell Regional Hospice since 2000. She is likely the first person you will meet or talk to from hospice. Sara became certified in Hospice and Palliative Nursing in 2004 and is currently the Patient Care Coordinator. She is responsible for hospice referrals and admissions. Sara graduated from Grinnell High School and received her RN from Marshalltown Community College. She is married to Chris Wray who is a sergeant for the Grinnell Police Department. They are the proud parents of two children – Molly and Matthew.