Jessica Empeno, MSW

Jessica Empeno joined San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine in April 2003 as the MSW for the Admissions Department. Jessica currently oversees the entire patient referral process, as Manager of the Access Center Social Workers and the Intake Team (aka Admissions Call Center.) Jessica’s role at SDHIPM includes integrating social work services into the daily operations of the patient referral and admission process. She also supports the Access Center MSW team and advocates for psychosocial support throughout the Access Center, and holds an active role in performance and process improvement projects for SDHIPM.

In 2009, Jessica was appointed Project Director for the West Grant project, managing all aspects of the grant, working with social workers to coordinate referrals, and working with community partners to deliver services, manage data and create budgets.

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Studies as well as a Master’s in Social Work, with a Health Care and Administration focus.  She is a Certified Field Instructor for the SDSU School of Social Work, and a participant in the City of Hope ACE Project.