Talbot Hospice Medical Director, Dr. Robert Sanchez, was recently granted the Hospice Medical Director Certified (HMDC) credential by the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board. Dr. Sanchez earned this designation after meeting eligibility requirements, passing a comprehensive exam and demonstrating his professional competency in hospice and palliative care. The HMDC designation is granted for six years and is renewed through continued validation of knowledge and re-assessment.
“This certification helps our greater community understand what we at Talbot Hospice already know: Dr. Sanchez is deeply committed to providing the best possible care for our patients at the end of life,” said Chris Chekouras, Talbot Hospice Executive Director. “In addition to working with our patients and their families, Dr. Sanchez is a local leader and ambassador for hospice and palliative care and serves as a mentor to other professionals in the field.”
As Medical Director, Dr. Sanchez has overall responsibility for patients being cared for at Talbot Hospice. He works closely with an Interdisciplinary Team of nurses and nursing assistants, social workers, bereavement coordinator and chaplain to develop a comprehensive care plan for each patient. He also serves as an ambassador for hospice care within the community.
“I have been in awe and full of admiration and respect every day for the people I witness providing hospice and palliative care in our community,” said Dr. Robert Sanchez, Talbot Hospice Medical Director. “It is indeed a privilege to work with this dedicated and very vital organization. We are also blessed in this county and on the Eastern Shore to have residents who make sacrifices and contributions to support Talbot Hospice to ensure that no one is turned away from receiving our services.”
Dr. Sanchez has been a referring physician to Talbot Hospice since its inception in 1981, became an Assistant Medical Director in 2015 and then Medical Director in 2020. In addition, he and his wife, Lynn, helped found the Child Loss Support Group in 1985, which continues today under the auspices of Talbot Hospice.
Dr. Sanchez retired from private practice in January 2021 after a 43-year career in family medicine. He is a third-generation general practitioner and graduated from Florida State University and then attended Creighton University in Omaha, NE for medical school and Family Practice residency. Following residency, he served in the US Navy at Cherry Point Marine Air Station in North Carolina.
Dr. Sanchez started Easton Family Physicians with Dr. Michael Crowley in 1980 and then in 2010 transitioned to a personalized health care practice affiliated with the nationally-recognized organization, MDVIP. In the later years of practice, he became primarily involved with geriatrics and attended patients in all of the local assisted living facilities in Talbot County.
When not sharing his time and talents with Talbot Hospice, Dr. Sanchez enjoys performing with the Tred Avon Players at the Oxford Community Theatre, boating, photography, gardening, bridge and most recently, pickleball. He and Lynn are members of Saints Peter and Paul Parish and have two sons, Robert in Austin, TX and Jason of Easton, MD. Their youngest son, Rion, was deceased in 1985.
About the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board
The Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB) serves as an independent, not-for-profit certifying body to administer a certification program for hospice medical directors and other physicians who provide hospice care for patients. The mission of HMDCB is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life by promoting the excellence and professional competency of hospice medical directors. For more information, visit www.hmdcb.org.
