Continuing Care

Spectrum Health Announces New VNA Director

Karen Pakkala, MBA, has been named the new executive director of the Spectrum Health Visiting Nurse Association (VNA).

“Karen has a great vision for what the VNA can be as its role grows in our community,” said Jeffery S. Lemon, president, Spectrum Health Continuing Care. “As more families seek the outstanding services of these health care professionals, Karen will help oversee our efforts to meet these needs.”

With 18 years of experience in health care, Pakkala was most recently a vice president for Gentiva Health Services in Grand Rapids. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and her MBA from the University of Michigan.

The Spectrum Health Visiting Nurse Association has been recognized as a national and state leader in home care services. It ranks third in the nation and first in the state for the lowest percentage of acute care hospitalizations for patients receiving home care services. Spectrum Health Continuing Care is the region’s largest provider of long term acute, rehabilitative, skilled nursing, home and residential care services. For more information about Spectrum Health Continuing Care, please visit continuing.spectrum-health.org/.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, a collection of seven hospitals and more than 140 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group, a multispecialty team of nearly 100 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with nearly 500,000 members. Spectrum Health’s 14,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care to those in medical need.  The organization provided $111.1 million in community benefit during its 2008 fiscal year. As a system, Spectrum Health has earned more than 100 awards during the past 10 years.