HopeWest announced it hired Dr. Chris Azelby as the new medical director of Hospice and Palliative Care.

According to a news release from HopeWest, Azelby will direct clinical practices, continuing HopeWest’s legacy of exceptional care.

For more than 35 years, HopeWest has provided care across western Colorado and continues to do so through dementia support, PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), palliative care, hospice, and grief support for children and adults.

“We are confident Dr. Azelby’s leadership will further support our team’s growth and align with our shared mission to provide outstanding care,” HopeWest President and CEO Deneen Silva said. “Her arrival marks an exciting opportunity for us to learn from her experience and continue advancing our goals together.”

Azelby brings expertise in hospice operations, clinical leadership and palliative-care delivery, the news release said. Throughout her career, including most recently as the regional medical director at Choice Hospice on the Front Range, Azelby demonstrated a commitment to operational excellence and patient-centered care, leading interdisciplinary teams and spearheading clinical training during significant periods of organizational growth.

Azelby is a dual board-certified physician in geriatric and internal medicine, having completed her internal-medicine residency and fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Colorado. She earned her doctor-of-medicine degree from Rutgers, where she was recognized with honors and inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

“It is rare to be a part of an organization that values humanity above all else,” Azelby said about joining HopeWest. “I am excited to work alongside a team committed to preserving the nonprofit, community-first model of care at a time when corporate consolidation and private equity are increasingly reshaping hospice.”