Cascade Health Hospice Team
Rebecca Heigl, R.N.
Manager of Hospice
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Rebecca Heigl started working in health care at the age of 18. Her love of serving people morphed into a long nursing career that has included mentoring, teaching and supporting other nurses. In the fall of 2021, she moved from the metro Portland, Ore. area to join Cascade Health as their Hospice and Palliative Care manager.. In her personal time, Rebecca enjoys raising and encouraging her two boys, and deeply appreciates every opportunity to spend time with the people she loves most.
Alicia Peacor
Manager of Pete Moore Hospice House
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Alicia started her career working for 12 years in family practice medicine. She found herself looking for a way to grow her nursing career, and after taking a job working nights and weekends for a home hospice team, she discovered she had found her passion. Alicia joined the Pete Moore Hospice House team as a part-time nurse as the house celebrated its one-year anniversary in 2018. She went on to become the hospice house’s Assistant Manager and then Manager. Alicia has a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration. She loves spending time with her husband and two children and traveling as much as possible.
Steve Belzer, R.N.
Assistant Manager of Hospice
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Pronouns: he/him/his
Steve joined Cascade Health nurse in 2019 and became the department’s assistant manager in 2020. He began his career in healthcare as a medication aide in an assisted living facility. It was there that he was first introduced to hospice, which sparked his interest in nursing. Steve earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Macalester College and his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Portland. Outside of work, Steve is a busy father of two and enjoys getting outdoors with his family to hike, swim, forage for mushrooms, camp and snowboard in Oregon’s beautiful and varied landscape.
Shari Brown
Assistant Manager of Hospice
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Shari joined Cascade Health in 1999 as a hospice nurse and later became the program’s assistant manager. Shari spent seven years as an on-call nurse for patients and families in need and observed the relief and tears people shared as help arrived to their home. Empowering people with the tools and support to be comfortable and safe feeds her need to care. Shari has several adult kids and a grandkids. She loves life, kids of all ages, gardening, hiking, pets, spending time with family and the endlessly amazing, beautiful places of Oregon.
Cole Henry
Assistant Manager, Pete Moore Hospice House
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Pronouns: he/him/his
Cole joined Cascade Health in 2023 after working for 6 years on various hospital units. Through this work, Cole found he consistently enjoyed helping patients and families after they elected for comfort care or hospice. He finds it very rewarding to make sure everyone is comfortable throughout their stay. When at home, Cole enjoys skiing, hiking, traveling, and taking walks. He values spending time with his fiancé and their 2 cats.
Kathleen Cordes, M.D.
Medical Director
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Kathleen Cordes, MD practiced medicine for more than 30 years before joining Cascade Health in 2020. Originally from Minnesota, she earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Concordia College before graduating as a Doctor of Medicine from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She moved to Oregon in 1989 and worked as a physician, medical director and medical consultant, then opened her own practice in 1994. Dr. Cordes is an avid scuba diver and enjoys underwater photography and fish identification, as well as sewing, baking, reading, exploring Oregon and gathering with friends and family.
Kyle Kurzet, M.D.
Physician
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Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Kyle Kurzet, MD, MS, FAAFP, started in hospice care as an adolescent hospice volunteer in Portland. They earned their undergraduate degrees in biology and anthropology and a master’s in biology at Brandeis University. After graduating with an MD from Oregon Health & Science University, they completed residency and worked as a board-certified family physician and hospice medical director in Utah before returning home to Oregon. When not at Pete Moore Hospice House, they are serving the LGBTQ+ community at Transition Health, laughing with friends, reading, hiking, or running on the Ridgeline trails.
Joan Harvey, N.P.
Nurse Practitioner
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Joan Harvey worked for more than 30 years as a critical care nurse before obtaining her master’s degree as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in 2014Joan particularly enjoys working with elders and is honored to have the opportunity to help people and their families navigate advanced illness and the end of life. On her days off, Joan enjoys hiking, trips to the coast, lunches with friends and her meditation practice.
Sarah Jane Petersen, M.S.W.
Medical Social Worker
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sarah Jane Petersen has been a licensed clinical social worker for patients and families in health care settings since 1994. She has worked at Cascade Health in hospice and palliative care for the last 12 years. In addition to her work with Cascade Health, Sarah Jane facilitates support groups for the Oregon Cancer Foundation and The Fertility Center and previously for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She and her husband have twin girls in college and love camping. Sarah Jane also loves running, dancing, reading and spending time with friends.
Kate Brassington
Chaplain
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kate Brassington joined Cascade in 2022 to support those affected by grief and loss in our community. Kate has spent over a decade working with and studying grief. Passionate about bereavement support, she feels honored and deeply humbled to be with people in these tender, intimate, and often pivotal times in their lives. Kate has a Masters in Divinity and is trained as a clinical chaplain. During her residency at a hospital in Portland, she specialized in Pediatric Palliative Care and studied applied clinical ethics. Kate loves exploring creeks with her children, celebrating obscure holidays, and playing her ukulele.
Preeti Yonjon Feist
Volunteer Coordinator
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Preeti joined Cascade Health in 2021. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Eastern New Mexico State University, and master’s degrees in gerontology and social responsibility from St. Cloud State University. A community organizer at heart, Preeti enjoys working in hospice and palliative care. Prior to joining Cascade Health, she spent nine years managing various volunteer programs and has expertise as a DEI trainer and advanced health are directive program coordinator. She was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal and in her spare time enjoys practicing yoga and meditation as well as gardening, biking and the outdoors.
Sean Hughes
Bereavement Coordinator
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Pronouns: he/him/his
Sean joined Cascade Health in 2023 to help support the grieving community in Eugene. He holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and is trained as a clinical chaplain with a focus on thanatology. Before working in hospice care, Sean served as a Chaplain in for a VA hospital in the intensive care unit. He is passionate about providing grief education, making mental health accessible, and the power of attentive listening. When he isn’t exploring Eugene’s lovely hiking trails or playing Dungeons and Dragons, Sean can be found attending to the extraordinary/ordinary tasks of parenthood and family life.
Karlene Clark
Chaplain
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
Rev. Karlene Clark joined our Spiritual Care team in mid-2022. She holds a Master of Divinity, is ordained with the United Methodist Church, and is trained in clinical chaplaincy. Karlene served in both traditional and innovative expressions of church for 15 years prior to moving into hospice spiritual care. Karlene is passionate about supporting every patient, of any belief or background, so that all patients may experience the most peaceful possible death. Karlene loves hiking, camping, watching birds, drinking coffee, traveling, talking to her chickens, and hanging out with her family. She is also a certified personal trainer, and is passionate about trauma-informed, shame-free health and fitness.