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SALUTE TO CASE MANAGERS... SALUTE TO CASE MANAGERS... SALUTE TO CA

MORSELIFE HEALTH SYSTEM HIALEAH HOSPITAL

Yasiri Perez, MSW Thais Azevedo, RN, BSN, MHA, CCM

Yasiri Perez, MSW , is the regional manager of social Thais Azevedo is the Director of Case Management at
services for Palm Beach PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Hialeah Hospital. She leads and oversees the development
Care for the Elderly) in affiliation with MorseLife Health and execution of policies and procedures, practices work-
System. In addition to her own caseload, she manages flow, and directs the standardization of CM policies and
nine social workers to serve approximately 600 frail practices throughout the Hospital. She also maintains qual-
older adults at their homes and at MorseLife PACE cen- ity patient care and adheres to all relevant compliance activ-
ters throughout Palm Beach County. With a goal of pre- ities in order to maintain trust, cooperation, and collabora-
venting unnecessary nursing home admissions, she over- tion with administrative, medical staff, and various depart-
sees services that include: primary and specialty medical ments across the Hospital. She develops and executes the
care; skilled home care and medical aides; physical, short and long-term goals for the department consistently
occupational and speech therapies; medication management; adult day care; home with established hospital/corporate strategies. Thais Azevedo holds a Bachelor of Science
health care and end of life care. Yasiri joined MorseLife five years ago from Kids In in Nursing and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Ohio University. She also is
Distress where she was involved in the licensing of foster parents. After completing Case Management Certified (CCM) and is a Registered Nurse in the State of Florida.
her undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida, she received her
Master of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. Elizabeth Canoura, RN, NP

Judy Uzzi, LCSW, CMC Nurse Practitioner Elizabeth Canoura works for the Case
Management Department at Hialeah Hospital. She graduat-
Judy Uzzi, LCSW , CMC, serves as the clinical program ed from the Nurse Practitioner Program at the FIU School
director of the MorseLife Care Management and of Nursing in 2004. Elizabeth has a solid background in
Counseling Program. A licensed clinical social worker Critical Care, Nursing Education and Case Management.
with more than 35 years of experience, Judy oversees a She began working with the Case Management Department
staff providing counselling and care management to a in 2013 at a sister facility and in 2016, she transferred back
fragile senior population, most of whom are between the to Hialeah Hospital where she started her career in critical
ages of 80 and 100 living with chronic conditions. care 16 years earlier. Elizabeth goes above and beyond her
During the pandemic she has led innovations in the duties as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic when
delivery of care to include telehealth while also providing there was high influx of patients coming from nursing
the technological training and opportunities for patients homes or ALF’s from the months of April through July.
to connect with family members. Judy also draws on her experience in hospice and There were days in which there were over 100 hospitalized patients from long term care
long-term care to help foster discussions enabling patients and families to make end- facilities and every one of them received a PT evaluation, Dietary evaluation, and repeat-
of-life decisions. Judy joined MorseLife more than 20 years ago from Just Checking ed tests as per guidelines. Elizabeth monitored COVID-19 test results daily and directed
care coordination services at Barry University. She graduated from Adelphi these patients’ discharge plan accordingly. Placement for most of these patients was a
University in Garden City, NY and is an accredited CME through the State of Florida. major problem, however, with the support of the Case Management Team at Hialeah
Hospital, all patients had a safe discharge.

24 October 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News