Today we’d like to introduce you to James Dismond.
Hi James, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey to becoming CEO of Hospice Care of the Lowcountry has been shaped by a deep-rooted passion for serving others and positively impacting my community. Growing up in Kentucky and being adopted, I experienced the profound love of being chosen, and I forever try to pay that feeling of acceptance to others. This early experience fueled my desire to work in the nonprofit sector and choose a career that allowed me the opportunity to pay it forward.
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of serving in development roles for several nonprofits across the Southeast. Each position allowed me to experience the impact of nonprofit work in communities. When I was recruited to be the Director of Development for Hospice Care of the Lowcountry in 2020, I was deeply inspired by their mission. I experienced a significant amount of loss when I was young and saw how a lack of finances and quality care could put a further strain on an entire grieving family. However, my perspective on end-of-life care shifted dramatically when my mother passed away last year under hospice care. My family and I were fortunate to receive incredible solace and comfort through the support provided, and the experience fundamentally changed my approach to leading Hospice Care in the Lowcountry. Now serving as CEO, I’m not just overseeing an organization that provides these services; I’ve also received them and have first-hand experience of their impact. My personal experience with hospice services drives my passion and helps me ensure our organization stays focused on our relentless vision to provide accessible, quality care in the realism of options for chronic symptom management, end-of-life, and grief support
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Getting to where I am today has come with many obstacles that have shaped me and my approach to leadership. One of the most significant challenges I faced was leading through change and doing so with confidence. When I assumed the role of CEO last year, I was faced with a pivotal decision: continue running the organization in the way that had brought us success over the previous 4 decades, or reorganize to grow and ultimately serve more patients, redefining what success means to Hospice Care of the Lowcountry. I opted for the latter, which brought obstacles as many organizations that undergo rapid change and growth experience, including turnover. However, I had to go back to my why which is grounded in my desire to make an impact. I’ve learned to embrace feeling uncomfortable throughout my life because life was not always easy for our family. But in those moments of challenges, I was most motivated to find comfort. Our work at Hospice Care of the Lowcountry is about delivering comfort in moments of deep discomfort. But, as an organization, we had to address what made us uncomfortable – growth and positive change – to deliver on our promise of comfort to the community.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Hospice Care of the Lowcountry is an independent, community-based, non-profit hospice and palliative care organization that has served Beaufort and Jasper Counties for over 40 years. We have continued to evolve our service offerings to meet our community’s growing and diverse needs with a mission to honor life by providing compassionate care and guidance for those experiencing a severe illness, end of life, and grief. Last year, we launched the first Community-Based Palliative Care Program in our region that addressed a critical need for chronic symptom management in our community, and we are expanding our palliative care services to include counseling and mental health services.
How do you define success?
For me, success is when our team can provide everyone in our community access to quality healthcare and the dignity they deserve at the end of life. There will be obstacles to overcome to achieve this, including how we as an organization partner with others locally in our industry and overcome government policy barriers. But overall, success is more than just achieving goals – it’s about genuinely impacting our community through our work, the people we inspire, or the difference we make in someone’s life. It is a journey, not a destination, to strive towards, and every patient we can impact positively is fuel for me to continue this meaningful work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hospicecarelc.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospicecarelc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hospicecarelc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dismond/
