CALABASAS : Hospice Executive Director Named

The former president of Granada Hills Community Hospital has been named executive director of Hospice of the Canyon in Calabasas, one of the largest care centers in Los Angeles County for the terminally ill.

Donald Bernstein D.D.S. earlier this month took over operation of the private, 2-year-old center, which provides outpatient care to the dying, said hospice spokeswoman Christine Tinsley. The hospice employs about 20 full-time physicians, social workers, nurses, aides and about 50 volunteers, she said. The center’s goal is to allow clients to spend their last days at home with their loved ones, rather than in hospitals, because “it makes the final days much more comfortable and meaningful,” Bernstein said in a statement.

Bernstein, who served as head of Granada Hills Community Hospital from 1990 to 1992, also said he hopes to supervise plans to build a 24-bed in-patient wing at the hospice.