New Hospice Executive Director, Katharen Bortolin Does Not Take Her Leadership Role Lightly
Story by Alysia Therrien
Photography by Heike Delmore
The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County holds space for people not just in practice, but in memories. It is a collection of people that work together to create a place where every moment matters.
Because of this, Katharen Bortolin, Hospice’s newly appointed Executive Director, does not take her position lightly. “Where I go to work is where someone might be having one of the toughest days of their life,” she explains. Yet, within these instances, she has witnessed moments worth celebrating.
Katharen was born and raised in Windsor-Essex. She attended the University of Windsor where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Social Science in English Language and Literature. She continued her education at the Odette School of Business by completing her Master of Business Administration.
After graduating, she quickly realized that she preferred working with and around people when she ended up at the Cancer Program at Windsor Regional Hospital. It was during this time she learned the multiple sides of working in healthcare. From working with the front-line staff members to patient communication, she took her business education and melded it with health services.
Katharen recalls those earlier years and how quickly she learned about the tough realities that come with working in healthcare. When there is a human in front of you, she says, “I might be at work, but with someone in the Cancer Program, they might be receiving life altering news.” Katharen was aided by this experience and utilized it when she stepped into her first position at Hospice as the Director of Fundraising in 2019.
When the opportunity came for Katharen to step into the role of Executive Director for Hospice, she was honoured. Hospice was built by and for our community and as she points out the belief in Hospice is so pronounced. She feels, “It’s an honour to step into this role—one I take very seriously. The scope is significant and while that’s humbling, it’s also deeply motivating.”
Hospice is 50% government funded and 50% fundraised. Hospice takes over 500 patients into their two on-site residences each year and over 1,200 patients in their own homes. “I don’t take a leadership role in this organization lightly,” states Katharen as she continues explaining that those people need Hospice in order to ensure they have quality palliative care.
Day in and day out, the staff at Hospice ensure our community receives compassionate end-of-life care. Katharen states, “My job is to help take care of the people that take care of our patients and families”.
Taking care of the staff in order to ensure they have everything they need to take care of our community is not an easy task. However, Katharen has been supported by the original Executive Directors who paved the way since the beginning of Hospice in 1979. Founding Executive Director Jane Boyd and legacy Hospice ED of 39 years, Carol Derbyshire, still guide Katharen today. Additionally, Colleen Reaume and Nancy Brockenshire, who both understood and shared beliefs with Katharen about palliative care, are two of the Executive Directors that mentored Katharen directly before she stepped into the role herself.
Katharen moved into the Executive Director role back in May 2024. Now a new mom, she attributes her success to the support she receives from her husband Peter, her parents as well as friends and family. She’s received acknowledgments such as the University of Windsor’s Alumni Association Odyssey Award in 2020, 40 Under 40 from United Way in 2018 and only two weeks after delivering her daughter Nora, she accepted the Young Professional of the Year in May of 2025 as part of the annual Business Excellence Awards hosted by the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce. Katharen understands the need for a support system and what it means to take care of people who care so much. She knows it is her job now to assist in removing barriers so that the staff at Hospice can successfully do the work they need to do.
For Katharen, Hospice is two things: quality palliative care and memorable care. Quality care is the clinical element, which is making sure they provide someone the best quality of life they can with the clinical intervention. This could mean medications, spiritual care, supportive care, but as Katharen states, “It is wrapping your arms around the patients and families so they can live their very best as long as they are here.”
The memorable care is what makes Hospice so unique. The weight of what is carried at Hospice is heavy, but when the quality care is supported, then they can start the memorable care. “We celebrate a ton at Hospice,” says Katharen, “We host so many different things: baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, Christmas in July, so many holidays.” The vision of specialized and recognized teams delivering memorable care allows patients and their families to have these opportunities to choose how they want to remember this particular time in their life.
Katharen expresses that with palliative care, you get one shot. “We celebrate and do all these things once babies are born, and especially just having gone through it personally, we should also be able to celebrate and give dignity and quality of life when people are passing,” she explains. With 120 staff, more than 500 active volunteers across 2 campuses, Windsor and Erie Shores in Leamington, who give great care daily, Katharen expresses that they deserve to have leadership that cares about them too.
Katharen wants to ensure she continues to build the legacy she now carries. She loves connecting with patients and staff, hearing the stories, getting feedback, and trying to remove barriers to make things better.
Windsor-Essex is fortunate to have the Hospice resources it has, but that doesn’t mean we have enough. With only partial government funding, Hospice has been able to evolve and maintain its high level of care because of community support. “If our community didn’t believe in us, we wouldn’t have a Hospice,” says Katharen.
An avid community partner herself, Katharen believes in offering what you are able to support those around you. She has dedicated many hours volunteering, fundraising and being a board member for the Windsor International Film Festival. She also sits on the Hôtel-Dieu Grace
Healthcare board of directors, supports the University of Windsor Alumni Association and the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team. A huge proponent of being involved in the community she states, “I’ve always found that when I’ve given, I’ve gotten back ten-fold.”
Hospice hosts several signature events throughout the year, such as September’s Savour the Wine Tour and Hockey for Hospice in December. Coming up in 2026, Hospice will announce details about their annual gala and in late April, the selling of Hospice Dove Pins. “Growth in Hospice means more beds, a larger in-home program, more support services, and taking care of more people in our community— we know there is a need,” says Katharen. To her, it’s not just about helping more people, but helping people in unique ways, at a time when they need it most.
To learn more about the Hospice way, visit www.thehospice.ca.
Published in theAutumn 2025 Edition.
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