Baystate Health Welcomes DeSha McLeod as Director of Hospice and Palliative Care

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health recently welcomed Charlotte “DeSha” McLeod as its new director of Hospice and Palliative Care.

As a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, McLeod is board-certified in healthcare administration and a certified hospice and palliative care administrator. With 20 years of experience in hospice and palliative care, she has dedicated her career to developing, expanding, and supporting programs that prioritize compassionate, quality, and compliant care tailored to the needs of patients and their families.

McLeod, who began at Baystate on June 24, has developed and grown both local and regional inpatient and outpatient accredited hospice programs, certified palliative-care programs, and durable-medical-equipment divisions. She has also established a children’s bereavement camp, adolescent and adult grief-support programs, a mental-health counseling practice, philanthropic initiatives, and community partnerships. She earned both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Miss.

“With a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing hospice and palliative care, DeSha brings an impressive background and a wealth of experience to our organization,” said Sheldrick Streete, chief operating officer of Baystate Medical Center and vice president of Operations for Baystate Health.