Morgan Ryan: Meet Hospicare's New Palliative Nurse Practitioner
This August, Hospicare’s leadership was thrilled to hire Morgan Ryan, who has occasionally worked per diem in the Hospicare residence since 2022, as its first full-time palliative nurse practitioner. Morgan will be leading a new palliative program that will serve up to 150 people struggling with serious illness.
“Even if someone may not yet qualify for hospice, our hope is to use the expertise of palliative care to not only ease symptoms, but also to create space for meaningful conversations about care, while the patient can still share their wishes and the family can feel supported in hearing and honoring them,” Morgan explains.
Highly Experienced
A native of Ossining, NY, in the Hudson Valley, Morgan has been a nurse for 18 years and has worked with palliative patients for 15 of those years, including as a palliative triage nurse. But her experience with palliative care began when she was an oncology and bone transplant nurse at Mt. Sinai in New York City.
“We had an inpatient palliative care team,” Morgan recalls. “A lot of my patients benefitted from symptom management, spiritual support, and advance care discussions. I’ll just never forget how compassionate and present and thoughtful the palliative providers were in every interaction. So, I began paging them often, to see all the people I was caring for,” she remembers with a laugh. ”’Morgan,’ they told me one day ‘I’m sorry; we’ll need a medical order.’” It was these very interactions that solidified her desire to pursue a full-time career in palliative care.
Among Morgan’s mentors were two of the world’s leading palliative practitioners, Dr. Diane Meier and Dr. Sean Morrison. “I got very lucky,” Morgan reflects.
Filling an Urgent Need
“Our community has been asking for a strong in-home palliative program for many years,” says Hospicare’s medical director, Lucia Jander, M.D. “There’s a big need. We will be improving the quality of many people’s lives and taking some of the burden off the shoulders of busy primary care doctors and specialists, who are often simply unable to sit down for an hour-long conversation with a patient or stop by a patient’s house to check on their pain and symptom management.”
Launching This Winter
Beginning within a few weeks (once Morgan Ryan is fully credentialed by the insurance agencies and Medicare, a sometimes lengthy process involving a lot of paperwork) people in Tompkins and Cortland counties will be able to sign on for palliative care a few different ways. They can ask their primary care provider or specialist for a referral or refer themselves for care simply by calling the agency and requesting a consultation house call. A family member or care giver can also call Hospicare on their behalf. If the person’s condition makes them a good candidate for the monthly visits, social work support, and care management the palliative program provides, they will be signed on, with most or all of the palliative visits covered by Medicare or private insurance.
Medical Care That Is Also About Listening
Morgan is a strong believer in the power of those unhurried one-on-one health consultations.
“Simply sitting down and hearing their story increases relatability,” she says. “I always just think of that golden rule: how would I want to be treated? How would I want my family member to be treated? We want to solve things and offer all this advice, but there’s something very powerful about just sitting and listening, allowing a person to tell their story in a safe and supportive environment.”
“Taking the time to truly sit and listen to someone’s story builds connection and trust,” she says. “I often think of the golden rule: how would I want to be treated, and how would I want my loved ones to be treated? As practitioners, our instinct is to fix things and offer solutions, but there is tremendous power in simply listening—allowing a person to share their story in a safe and supportive space. That simple act helps us care for the whole person, honoring their goals, values, and what matters most to them.”
Morgan shares that she always asks her palliative patients what brings them joy, so that she can help them integrate whatever that is into their lives. Because receiving palliative care often extends people’s lives and reduces hospitalization, there is often more time to pursue those things that bring joy.
“I once cared for a man with advanced heart disease who loved woodworking,” Morgan explains. “After he died, his family shared that the extra time and comfort palliative care gave him felt like such a gift. His spirit was lighter, and he spent that time building birdhouses. I was grateful to receive one! A Phillies birdhouse. (I’ll admit, I don’t know much about sports.) But every spring for the past five years, birds have built their nests in it. I’ll never take it down. I cared deeply for him, and that birdhouse is a beautiful reminder of how meaningful it is to help people reach their goals. It can seem so simple, but in reality, it isn’t. Our healthcare system is overwhelming, with so much information and complexity when someone is sick. Sometimes just creating space for a simple conversation can open the door to new understanding and a plan that truly improves quality of life.”