Los Angeles Jewish Home's Blog


Auerbach Geriatric Psychiatry Unit Welcomes New Director

Auerbach Geriatric Psychiatry Unit Welcomes New Director
The Los Angeles Jewish Home is proud to welcome Heather Hendrick, MSN, as program director of the Auerbach Geriatric Psychiatry Unit (AGPU). Located in the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center (JEKMC) on the Home's Grancell Village Campus, AGPU provides short-term in-patient psychiatric care.

Heather, a board certified registered nurse, has over 15 years of progressive experience in an acute care setting. Her leadership roles, including lead crisis RN and program manager, have resulted in her depth of knowledge regarding the complexity of patient care and healthcare administration.

Prior to the Jewish Home, Heather was employed at Northridge Hospital Medical Center for eight years. As inpatient program manager, her duties included supervision and teaching of the medical center's Pro-Act (professional assault crisis training) class as part of employee orientation. Heather then served as nurse clinician for the partial hospitalization program, which allows individuals to commute to the center for treatment of mental health issues and remain living at home. In that position, she was a key member of the acute mental health team of medical professionals providing leadership and management of staff. Working with psychiatrists, Heather developed comprehensive treatment plans for patients diagnosed with a range of illnesses including intense depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse and severe anxiety. 

"I am very excited to be part of the Jewish Home," says Heather. "As program director for AGPU, my goals are simple: to provide the best care for our patients and to create a great environment for our staff to excel, to be empowered to make a difference in the lives of our seniors."

"In searching for the right person to serve as program director of AGPU, we focused on finding a manager who is aligned with our mission and values," explains Ilana Grossman, CEO/Administrator of JEKMC. "We also wanted someone who could partner with our hospital leadership in positioning our program for future growth. Heather brings a combination of strong clinical and leadership management skills, along with a warmth and a commitment to create a safe, quality healing environment for our seniors."

Heather received her Masters of Science in Nursing with specialization in leadership and management from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

On behalf of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, we welcome Heather and look forward to working together to improve the health of our seniors.