Community PedsCare® Child Life Specialist and Doctor Honored as Health Care Heroes by Jacksonville Business Journal

Community PedsCare® Child Life Specialist and Doctor Honored as Health Care Heroes by Jacksonville Business Journal

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Danielle Eaves Hernandez and Dr. Kelly Cronin Komatz were recognized as 2015 Health Care Heroes by the Jacksonville Business Journal on Tuesday. Both play an integral role in Community PedsCare®, the pediatric hospice and palliative care program of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida.

Early on, Eaves Hernandez realized the value of helping others. Even though her tenure is relatively short, her leadership and level of compassion are seasoned well beyond her years – especially as it pertains to seriously ill children and their families.

Eaves Hernandez is a certified child life specialist for Community PedsCare and has been touching young lives in tremendous ways since she joined the organization in 2008. 

Dedicated to improving the lives of children through her work as a physician, Dr. Komatz is also a local and national leader in the field of hospice and palliative medicine. Dr. Komatz is a University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville assistant professor of pediatrics, and serves as the medical director for Community PedsCare. She has been practicing hospice and palliative care for nearly a decade and became board certified in 2010 – a rarity in pediatrics. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Hospital and Palliative Medicine.

Community PedsCare director, Terry Eason, lauded the work of both Health Care Heroes.

“Danielle is a young woman passionate to provide child life services to young patients and their families throughout the course of the impacted child’s journey in dealing with their life-threatening condition,” said Eason. “And, Dr. Komatz brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to the work she does with chronically ill children and has been instrumental in the growth of services provided for complex, chronically ill children in this area. Both of these leaders are invaluable members of the Community PedsCare team and the pediatric community.”

 

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