Missi Knisley Named Executive Director of Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County and Community Care Hospice

Ohio’s Hospice named Missi Knisley executive director of Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County and Community Care Hospice. Knisley brings more than 30 years of healthcare and hospice experience to the not-for-profit organizations in addition to 15 years of experience in marketing.

Before joining Ohio’s Hospice, Knisley was a marketing and admissions director at Court House Manor Skilled Nursing facility for 16 years. She served as executive director of Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County from 2005 to 2015. For the past five years, she was working as a licensed nursing home administrator at Court House Manor/St. Catherine’s Manor/Court House Manor Assisted Living. 

“I am confident that Missi will provide excellent leadership, knowledge, compassion and professionalism in her role,” said Amy Wagner, president of Ohio’s Hospice. “We are fortunate to have her on our team, supporting our mission.”

As executive director, Knisley will bring mission-focused leadership to Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County and Community Care Hospice as she has throughout her career.

“It is an honor to be the executive director of Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County and Community Care Hospice,” Knisley said. “I love serving patients and families, knowing we make a difference in helping them get through difficult times.”

Knisley decided to return to the not-for-profit organization after her brother, Eric, passed away in 2019 from acute myeloid leukemia. She spent almost two years taking him to appointments, stayed with him in the hospital. She was with him when he passed away.

“It made me realize how important end-of-life care is and how I could use my experience to help others in need,” Knisley said. “Hospice is such an amazing service. Our staff is focused on providing superior care and superior services to the patients and families that we have the privilege of serving.”

Ohio’s Hospice is a partnership of mission-driven, not-for-profit hospices in Ohio committed to a shared vision of strengthening and preserving community-based hospices. Members of Ohio’s Hospice share the values of serving each patient in an atmosphere of hospitality, respect and caring; attending to the social, physical and spiritual needs of each person we are privileged to serve; preserving and enhancing patient dignity; celebrating the life of each individual we serve; and reducing unnecessary suffering in the communities we serve. 

Affiliates of Ohio’s Hospice include: Community Care Hospice, Hospice of Central Ohio, Ohio’s Community Mercy Hospice, Ohio’s Hospice at United Church Homes, Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, Ohio’s Hospice Loving Care, Ohio’s Hospice of Butler & Warren Counties, Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County and Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County. 

Community Care Hospice, an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2004 by a group of individuals whose mission is to provide superior hospice care to their community. Local professionals provide care for patients in a 10-county area surrounding Wilmington. Bereavement and grief support services also are provided to hospice families and to the community, including grief groups. Patients are cared for in their homes, and extended care and assisted living facilities. General inpatient care is available at Clinton Memorial Hospital, along with access to designated hospice beds at Highland District Hospital.

Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County, an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, was founded in 1987 as a community hospice to affirm life and provide comfort, symptom management and support in physical, mental and spiritual aspects when there is a life-limiting illness. Committed to respecting and empowering individuals so they remain active in their decision-making and personal choices, Ohio’s Hospice of Fayette County earned accreditation from The Joint Commission in 2014. It was selected in 2016, 2017 and 2020 for the prestigious Hospice Honors program of HEALTHCAREfirst and Deyta Analytics, recognizing hospices providing the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.