NECCC Board Member Feature: Denise Hyde, Pharm.D.

Denise Hyde, Pharm.D., is the secretary for the Nebraska Culture Change Coalition. Denise became involved in the culture change movement in 1997 while working at the Thomas Fitzgerald Veterans Home in Omaha, NE. The home was using the Eden Alternative as their approach to culture change and the experience inspired Denise to become an advocate for organizations to begin the culture change process. Being a pharmacist, she quickly developed an interest in how to bring her expertise into the culture change movement and make life better for Elders. Denise has served as a Regional Coordinator for the Eden Alternative supporting organizations in six states. During the 8th Scope of Work, Denise worked with the Quality Improvement Organization in Nebraska to do both culture change work and Medicare Part D projects. Denise continues to provide education and support to organizations implementing the Eden Alternative as an Eden Mentor and Eden Educator. She worked with a group of Eden Mentors to develop a new resource for The Eden Alternative Registry called The Path to Mastery: The Art of Creating a Caring Community. In 2022, she helped reformat and expand the Path to Mastery into the Eden Navigator, a resource that guides organizations through detailed implementation of best practices for person-directed care. Denise was a part of the expert panel for the CMS/Pioneer Network project: Creating Home in the Nursing Home II: A National Symposium on Culture Change and the Food and Dining Requirements. She has been serving in the role of Community Builder for the Eden Alternative since 2009, supporting organizations across the country and Canada. Denise is one of the founding members of the culture change coalition in Nebraska and has spoken several times on culture change locally and nationally. She has great passion for creating a better life for Elders everywhere.