Dr. Kendra Hutchinson has joined the Yolo Hospice team as associate medical director. Hutchinson’s practice is in medical oncology with a specialization in breast cancer treatment. She will support and work with Dr. Scott Christensen, Yolo Hospice medical director, to oversee the care of Yolo Hospice patients.

“I wanted a place in the medical field where I could really get to know my patients and their families,” Hutchinson said in a news release. “I believe medicine is all about taking care of people — mind, body and spirit. Yolo Hospice’s dedication to this philosophy is why I’m so pleased to be part of this team.”

Hutchinson’s medical practice is part of the UC Davis Health System, and she is the associate director for the Oncology Fellowship Program there. A fellowship is a period of time during which a physician receives training in a subspecialty. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both internal medicine and medical oncology.

“I’ve wanted to work more closely with hospice forever,” Hutchinson said. “Hospice is important. Yet, it is hard for doctors who have been taught to fix things, to switch and hope for disease and pain control for their patients. As I work with and teach other physicians, I make sure to encourage them to cure and treat, and to be proactive about having hospice conversations with patients and their families, when appropriate.”

Hutchinson and Christensen have developed a training program for the fellows that teaches the delicate skill of communicating to the patient about hospice. The program has been held annually for the past nine years. It helps the physicians become more comfortable discussing the subject of end-of-life, but also concentrates on how to best present the issue to the patient and how to help them adjust mentally and emotionally to a possible change to hospice care, the news release said.

“We are proud to have Dr. Hutchinson join the Yolo Hospice team,” said Doug Jena, Yolo Hospice executive director. “Her interest in caring for the whole patient, concern for the families and dedication to making the transition to hospice care easier for all involved proves her to be the expert and caring physician we were looking for as our associate medical director.”

The Yolo Hospice team of professionals helps people fully live the final days of their lives by focusing on the whole person — body, mind and spirit. Yolo Hospice emphasizes comfort through pain control and sophisticated symptom relief. Yolo Hospice, the first of its kind in the area, has provided not-for-profit hospice care in the community since 1979.

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