Ava Padmore-Lewis

By Vanessa Orr

Providing end-of-life care is incredibly challenging, but one thing that makes it easier is if employees work for a place they love. The employees of VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, recently showed their appreciation for their company by helping it earn the title of a 2025 Top Workplace in Healthcare.

Recognized by Top Workplaces USA, a national program that honors organizations based solely on employee feedback, VITAS was selected as one of only 57 healthcare organizations nationwide with more than 1,000 employees to receive this distinction.

Founded in 1978, VITAS employs nearly 12,000 professionals across 15 states and the District of Columbia, delivering compassionate hospice and palliative care to more than 22,000 seriously ill patients each day. Its team members were invited to share their experiences in a confidential survey earlier this year, and responses measured key drivers of engaged workplace cultures, including alignment, connection and purpose.

“We are so excited that our employees are so passionate about working at VITAS; this is a really prestigious award for us because it is based on employee experience,” said Ava Padmore-Lewis, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for VITAS. “We appreciate and find it a privilege when patients and families choose us to support their loved ones at this point in their life’s journey. To be named a Top Workplace in Healthcare, when we are truly living our mission and purpose, is a celebration of those employees.”

According to Padmore-Lewis, one of the things that draws people to VITAS is its purpose-driven culture that supports employees while enhancing the quality of hospice and palliative care delivered to patients and families.

“People who do well and enjoy working here resonate with the VITAS Values,” she said. “They feel like they belong here.” The VITAS Values are: patients and families come first; we take care of each other; I’ll do my best today and do even better tomorrow; and I’m proud to make a difference.

“Starting with orientation, onboarding and training of our employees, we ensure that every person, whether in clinical, administrative or support roles, remembers our purpose and that each person is working toward a common vision—that patients and families are supported with dignity at the end of life,” said Padmore-Lewis.

VITAS takes care to select people who are compassionate, are comfortable interacting with a diverse variety of patients, and who respect the people in their care at such a critical and sensitive time.

Employees also appreciate that they feel heard at VITAS. In addition to participating in the Top

Workplaces survey, the company conducts its own in-house surveys focused on measuring employee engagement, leadership and other key areas, and then takes action based on the feedback received.

“Year over year, we’ve made significant progress with our employee engagement scores, having seen a 10-point increase since launching our internal survey in 2022,” said Padmore-Lewis. “We recognize our employees, listen to them and respond in a way that’s valuable.”

She added that it’s important to keep employees happy, because people have options of where to work.

“We focus on the lifecycle of the employee: we select people who are aligned with our mission, vision and values, and once they’re on board, we train them well and provide them with the right resources,” she said. “A huge part of a good employee experience is that they are recognized and celebrated, and we ensure that we uphold this throughout the employee lifecycle, which increases morale and performance.”

Padmore-Lewis notes that the company is currently in its annual VITAS recognition period, which is referred to as “VITAS Best.” The company recognizes those employees who embody its values and missions throughout the year using a variety of objective and anecdotal measures, including patient, family and peer feedback.