Ira Mandel, MD, receives board certification in
Hospice and Palliative Medicine

 Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice is pleased to announce that Dr. Ira Mandel, the agency's hospice and palliative care medical director, has been granted the Certificate of Added Qualification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Mandel has been with KWL since 2006. He is the chairman of the Pen Bay Healthcare Palliative Care Committee, which establishes policies and procedures within the PBH system to assure outstanding care. The certification is from the American Board of Family Practice. The Certificate of Added Qualification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine is newly recognized by the American Medical Association.

"Dr. Mandel's certification is significant for Kno-Wal-Lin, for Pen Bay Healthcare and for the community we serve," said Donna DeBlois, executive director at Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice. "Our collective expertise, under Dr. Mandel's medical leadership, allows us to offer state-of-the-art palliative care services with high levels of patient and physician satisfaction."

Mandel's other activities in the hospice and palliative care community include serving as a co-chairman of the MaineHealth's Palliative Care Workgroup, "Preferred Practices, Guidelines and Outcomes," which sets standards and improves care in hospices across the state of Maine. He is also a member of the Maine Hospice Council.

Mandel has a medical degree from the State University of New York, and a master's degree in public health from the University of Florida. While in Florida, he was a staff physician for LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S.