LeadingAge Florida Leadership Academy Application Form Current Contact Information Name: Chip Cosper Employer: Suncoast Hospice Position/Title Phone : Regional Program Director / 727-564-5800 E-mail Address Cell: chipcosper@thehospice.org Address: 3050 1 st Avenue South City State Zip: St. Petersburg, FL 33712 In what ways would you describe your organization (urban/rural/number of persons served/employed, corporate structure)? Suncoast Hospice is a community based non-profit organization which serves the residents of Pinellas County, FL. Our care continuum includes, Hospice Care, Home Care, PACE. We also serve our community through community bereavement services. We have approximately 1000 employees and 3000 volunteers. Leadership Essay One Page Please complete your personal leadership essay on a separate sheet of paper. Please make sure you provide enough information to give the selection committee insight into your history and desire to be part of this program. See page three for more information on the essay. Summary of Qualifications Please provide a current resume or information about your education and work experiences (describing both informal and formal leadership roles that have contributed to your leadership development). Letters of Reference Please include two letters of reference with the application. Education and General Professional Data
Norman Chip Cosper 5714 21 st Avenue South Phone: 727-542-6787 Gulfport, FL 33707 email chipcosper@thehospice.org PROFESSIONAL HISTORY: SUNCOAST HOSPICE, CLEARWATER, FL 2010-Present Regional Program Director Supervise 4 Patient Family Care Coordinators in the south county office who each manage teams of 20-25 staff. Assist in care coordination decisions as well as offer guidance in budget matters. Provide service recovery when needed and work with teams to improve care to patients and families. Work with other directors to design policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulations. 2007-2010 Professional Development Coordinator Provided continuing education programs to meet licensure requirements for medical psychosocial and spiritual professionals in various class sizes from 10-100+. E-learning and classroom course development. Assisted staff 1:1 when needed for extra help. Supported slower learners with patience, extra help and encouragement. 2002-2007 Chaplain Updated and taught documentation standards to Chaplains. Participate in training and supporting volunteers. Lead bereavement groups and memorial services. Presenter at Virginia State Hospice Conference. Frequently chosen to cover for PFCC (supervisor). Member of agency Think Tank group. Computer and telephone super-user to assist other staff with the utilization of agency technology. Invited to lead in spiritual care presentation for Supplemental Staff department and for other staff as well. Worked in partnership with hospital staff to care for patients in the hospital s new Palliative Care Unit. HOSPICE OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA, RICHMOND, VA 2001-2002 Spiritual Care and Bereavement Coordinator Conducted inpatient and home visits for patients and families. Directed bereavement volunteer component. Invited to lead bereavement services for area hospital and nursing home staffs. Developed and led bereavement groups. Selected to conduct Hospice of Central Virginia staff retreat. Assisted in the opening of satellite office in new service area. Member of the education committee of the Virginia State Hospice Association Education Committee. 1999-2001 Spiritual Care Coordinator Provided spiritual care to patients in hospitals, homes and nursing facilities. Increased staff participation in community memorial services by elevating awareness of staff care issues. Developed and led in-service workshops on ethics and setting boundaries for staff. Assisted in development of agency ethics committee. Promoted to Spiritual Care and Bereavement Coordinator in March 2001.
HOSPICE OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA, RICHMOND, VA continued 1998-1999 Volunteer Coordinator and Spiritual Services Associate Recruited and trained volunteers to provide care to hospice patients and families. Offered educational and counseling opportunities to volunteers. Delivered presentations to community groups such as churches and nursing homes. Promoted to Spiritual Care Coordinator in June 1999. EDUCATION: Medical College of Virginia: Master of Patient Counseling course work and two units of Clinical Pastoral Education, Richmond, VA. The Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond: Master of Divinity in Pastoral Care and Counseling, May 1998, Richmond, VA. Carson-Newman College: BA Communication Arts/Religion, May 1994, Jefferson City, TN.
Please list your educational background (beginning with high school) and any specific training: School Countryside High School Carson-Newman College Baptist Theological Seminary At Richmond Degree/Training Diploma BA, Double major in Communication and Religion Master of Divinity Medical College of Virginia Coursework in Master of Patient Counseling Leadership Activity Data Please list up to three of your most significant formal and/or informal leadership roles on boards, associations or other. Include name of organization, dates of service and your responsibilities. Organization Dates Responsibilities Virginia Hospice Association, 2000-2002 Member of Education Steering Committee (conference planning, curriculum development for statewide conferences) Suncoast Hospice 2002-2005 One of two team chaplains who assisted in updated documentation revision as well as training for peers. Please Note: A limited number of tuition scholarships may be available. For scholarship consideration, please request a LeadingAge Florida scholarship application and attach.
Leadership Essay Chip Cosper We are all people behind our badges that we wear or roles that we fill. I believe that it s important to find connections to others that we work with in order to work well together. This connection should be around the mission of the organization. I believe that I collaborate well with others and feel it has been an important part or my own learning and growth. Connecting and working well with other s puts the ego aside and focuses on the success of the group. I put this type of collaboration to work in a roll-out of new documentation practices last year for our Suncoast Hospice employees. During the meetings which involved multiple departments, I as Project Manager reminded our team that we succeed or fail together. If an issue arises in one area, we all own it and work together toward a solution. This attitude of collaboration helped us be open to new approaches where we were able to better prepare our managers for their work in this process. The managers reported feeling more confident about this project than others in the past. This roll-out was overall very successful and I believe it is in part to the setting of the tone that we did early on in the process. I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with others at LeadingAge Florida s Leadership Academy. In my work at Suncoast Hospice I interact with other health care providers from hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I hope that my involvement in the Leadership Academy will give me the opportunity to learn from others about their goals and challenges. I also look forward to the opportunity to share my perspective as a hospice employee about some of the collective changes that we face in health care. My goal is to acquire more knowledge about how we can work together from different places on the health care continuum with the ultimate goal being better care for those that we serve. Hopefully my own learning can help me to return to my work with better awareness of how we can work with our community care partners. My own interaction with aging services in Florida began during my high school years and continued during the summers while attending college. It was during these times that I had the opportunity to work as an intern at two large churches and a hospital. The visits that I did during these internships began my focus on pastoral care and chaplaincy. As a chaplain, I had the opportunity to be a part of many sacred moments with patients and families. It is an honor to be involved in the journey with patients and families and hopefully play a part in their achieving their desired peace and comfort. The commitment to care continues for me even in the management role in which I now serve. My goal always is never to forget the bedside experience. I shadow our field staff regularly to stay connected with direct patient care and with the concerns of the staff. My commitment in my work is to keep the focus on the patient/client/resident amidst the changes that we continue to experience.
August 27, 2012 Janegale Boyd, President/CEO LeadingAge Florida 1812 Riggins Road Tallahassee, FL 32308 Dear Janegale, It is my pleasure to recommend Norman Chip Cosper as a candidate for LeadingAge Florida s Leadership Academy. Chip began his tenure with Suncoast Hospoice as a chaplain, recognizing the importance of addressing the physical, psycho-social and spiritual needs of both patients and caregivers. He later became a Patient Family Care Coordinator (PFCC) and led an interdisciplinary team of professional staff and volunteers in caring for approximately 120 patients and families each day. Presently, Chip serves as Regional Program Director of our St. Petersburg Community Service Center. The four patient care teams under Chip s leadership serve the most diverse and economically challenged of Pinellas County s neighborhoods. Chip came to appreciate and embrace our LeadingAge Florida mission and vision when selected by our national partner, LeadingAge, to be a secret shopper at the 2010 Annual Meeting. He has consistently demonstrated a commitment to mission-based, not-forprofit health and human services and a true capacity for engaging staff, volunteers and community to provide comfort and compassion when needed most. I believe Chip will be a positive addition to the upcoming Leadership Academy cohort with his intellect, management acumen and enthusiasm for transformational leadership. Sincerely, Michael L. Bell, Executive Director Suncoast Hospice Foundation