According to the Sparta Independent, Chelsea Choma has been appointed as Clinical Director at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
This position will require Choma to be responsible for the planning, directing, supervision and oversight of the hospice program.
Born and raised in Sussex County, she crew up in Franklin as the youngest of seven children. Choma graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006, beginning her career as a registered nurse at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
Choma worked on an orthopedic and neuroscience floor for three years at St. Barnabas, then taking a position that required her to float to twelve medical surgical units for two years where she became certified in ventilator and telemetry.
In 2009 she married Damien Choma and bought a house in Glenwood. She left St. Barnabas to explore the world of home care and hospice. She decided to go to hospice after many years working in the hospital and was experiencing a lack of informed decisions families made regarding end of life care.
Choma wanted people to think she was allowing them to live their last days in whatever way they wanted to. Her husband's parents also both died due to cancer when he was in his 20's, where she was able to see how hospice impacted his life.
"I remember the peace he had knowing he had support," she said.
She stated that there was a continued support after his father had passed, when bereavement services called to check in on him and offer ongoing support.
Choma began her hospice experience in Morris County as a hospice and supportive care case manager, advancing to team leader and manager of the hospice and supportive care team.
She graduated from Ramapo College with a Masters in Nursing Education and welcomed the Choma's twins, Carly and Cole, to the world in 2015.
A few years later, she became Hospice and Palliative Care Certified in 2017 and also moved to a home in Lake Mohawk.
Later in the year, she was promoted to Associate Director of Clinical Services and continued to manage the hospice and supportive care program as well as the home care clinical component of Sussex and Warren County.
Choma said, "I am now excited to join the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice family as the Clinical Director."