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Residential Hospice Welcomes Dr. Orest Sowirka as New Medical Director

Residential Hospice, an in-home hospice provider and subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company, welcomes Dr. Orest Sowirka, DO, as Medical Director.

TROY, MI – March 10, 2015 – Residential Hospice, a Troy, MI-based provider of in-home hospice services and a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company, is pleased to welcome Dr. Orest Sowirka, DO, as its new Medical Director.

Dr. Sowirka comes to Residential Hospice with an impressive history and a long list of credentials, including three board certifications (in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative care) and certification as a CMD (Certified Medical Director) in Long-Term Care. Born and raised in Southeast Michigan, Dr. Sowirka completed his undergraduate education at Wayne State University and his graduate work at Michigan State University.

Dr. Sowirka worked in private practice in his hometown for nearly a decade, where he felt privileged to offer the comfort of hospice care to former teachers, church leadership, and other members of his community. This personal connection and dedication to local seniors and others continues to show in his numerous organizational commitments, including longtime work as a Medical Director and Attending Physician for Lourdes Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Waterford, MI.

The move to Residential Hospice from Beaumont Health System, where he had worked for the last four years, was the result of numerous influences and encounters with Residential — as Dr. Sowirka recalls, ‘Residential kept popping up.’ His leadership role at Residential will allow him to demonstrate the value of hospice care and its emphasis on personal dignity, safety, and quality of life.

‘We are very happy with the addition of a new leader and expert to our team. We are impressed by his experience and dedication to patients, caregivers, and coworkers; what struck me most is his passion for education,’ notes Wendy Bongero, Residential Hospice Vice President of Clinical Operations. Indeed, at Residential, Dr. Sowirka will be positioned to instruct not only patients and caregivers about the benefit of Residential Hospice’s exceptional services, but also colleagues throughout the Residential Healthcare Group about hospice and palliative care.

About Residential Healthcare Group

Residential Hospice (www.residentialhospice.com)

Residential Hospice provides the full spectrum of hospice care in a variety of settings, including patients’ homes, nursing facilities, and hospitals. Residential Hospice is dedicated to providing the exceptional care patients need to maintain their personal dignity, safety, and quality of life. Residential Hospice is a CHAP-accredited agency, and has been named a Detroit Free Press Top 100 Michigan Workplace for the past two years.

Residential Home Health (www.residentialhomehealth.com)

Residential Home Health has been a leading provider of in-home nursing and therapy services throughout Michigan since 2001 and in northeastern Illinois since 2009. Residential is an ACHC-accredited agency and has developed a number of innovative, evidence-based clinical programs to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions, particularly for chronically ill patients. Residential Home Health has been named a Top 100 Workplace by the Detroit Free Press for the past four years and has received the coveted HomeCare Elite designation in six of the past nine years.

About Graham Holdings Company (www.ghco.com)

Graham Holdings Company (GHC) is a diversified education and media company whose principal operations include educational services, television broadcasting, cable systems and online, print and local TV news. Graham Holdings owns Kaplan, a leading global provider of educational services; Graham Media Group (KPRC–Houston, WDIV–Detroit, WKMG–Orlando, KSAT–San Antonio, WJXT–Jacksonville); Cable ONE, serving small-city subscribers in 19 midwestern, western and southern states; The Slate Group (Slate, Slate V, TheRoot); and Foreign Policy. Graham Holdings also owns Trove, a digital team focused on innovation and experimentation with emerging technologies; SocialCode, a leading social marketing solutions company; Celtic Healthcare, a home health/hospice provider based in Pennsylvania; Residential Healthcare Group, a home health/hospice provider based in Michigan; Forney Corporation; and Joyce/Dayton Corp.

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