St. Croix Hospice Director of Education Receives 2024 Memory Care Innovation Awards 

[OAKDALE, MINN.] April 23, 2024 – This month WTWH Media Healthcare announced St. Croix Hospice Director of Education Laura Christensen as one of the inaugural members of the 2024 Memory Care Innovation Awards in the Hospice & Palliative Care category. This award spotlights impactful healthcare leaders who advocate for individuals with memory-related disorders and contribute to the advancement of cognitive care delivery.

“I am humbled to receive recognition from WTWH Media. Helping families and patients achieve a higher quality of life has always driven my mission both as a nurse and as a hospice educator,” said St. Croix Hospice Director of Education Laura Christensen. “There is a great need for memory care expertise in the hospice community, and I want to do everything I can to positively impact cognitive care delivery.”

Christensen is a registered nurse with nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare, and she oversees education for the St. Croix Hospice clinical team. She has made major contributions toward the agency’s expertise and reputation in memory care, particularly with her launch and leadership of St. Croix Hospice’s North Star Dementia Program™. This program, made possible through a partnership with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), provides highly specialized training to hospice care teams, ultimately certifying clinical staff in dementia care expertise.

“Laura’s work to ensure a dementia-certified care team has raised the bar in memory care, not only for our agency but for the entire healthcare community,” said Ashley Arnold, Senior Vice President of Quality at St. Croix Hospice. “The success of the North Star Dementia Program™ has positioned St. Croix Hospice as experts in memory care, and Laura’s training and resources directly support our clinical team as well as patients and their loved ones.”

Since its launch in 2019, the North Star Dementia Program™ has benefited more than 11,618 patients with a primary diagnosis of dementia. Christensen’s efforts have advanced the agency’s methods of care delivery, improved patient outcomes and fostered a continuous learning environment. Christensen’s leadership has resulted in more than 2,216 clinical team members receiving CPI’s Capable Care Training, which helps patients and families manage symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia-related disorders.

Taking an integrated approach to hospice care, the expert team at St. Croix Hospice provides physical, emotional and spiritual support to more than 4,700 patients daily. St. Croix Hospice local clinical teams care for their communities from more than 65 branches throughout 10 Midwestern states, ensuring responsive, proximate service and individualized care wherever patients call home.  

About St. Croix Hospice  

Celebrating 15 years of service, St. Croix Hospice supports patients, their families and caregivers, providing exceptional hospice services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and wherever a patient calls home. With more than 65 total branches in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin, St. Croix Hospice takes pride in round-the-clock availability, prompt response and same-day admissions – including during evenings, weekends and holidays. Contact St. Croix Hospice 24/7 at 855-278-2764 or stcroixhospice.com.