Registered Nurse at Atlantic General Hospital receives Hospice and Palliative Care Certification

Berlin, Md. – Mary Lou Belcher, a registered nurse with Atlantic General’s palliative care program, recently received her hospice and palliative care certification from the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Mary Lou Belcher is the only registered nurse providing care in the hospital environment to receive this certification in the region.

“The palliative care team is very proud of Mary Lou and all she has accomplished in the past year,” says Chaplin, Gail Mansell, who serves a team director at Atlantic General Hospital. “She is a shining star in our eyes and she exemplifies our AGH/HS ‘PATIENTS VALUE’ in her compassionate care for our patients, their families, the community, and AGH!”

Hospice and palliative care nurses work with the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families when experiencing a life-limiting illness. In being a certified hospice and palliative licensed nurse, Belcher highlights her competence and knowledge in this specialized area.

Belcher is a graduate of Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, Md. She has been practicing as a nurse for nearly 40 years, and has achieved certification in emergency nursing as well as palliative care. Mary Lou joined AGH as a palliative care nurse in 2009.

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