Samaritan, a not-for-profit, leading provider of home-based primary care, palliative medicine and hospice care, as well as grief support, education and advocacy, is proud to announce a change to its healthcare leadership team. Effective today (April 1, 2024), Dr. Sara Pagliaro is promoted to Chief Medical Officer of Samaritan and Dr. Stephen Goldfine transitions to a new, part-time role as Physician Executive of the organization.

“Dr. Pagliaro and Dr. Goldfine have consistently provided excellent leadership, clinical expertise and extraordinary compassion that is invaluable to the lives of our patients and their families,” said Phillip W. Heath, Samaritan President & CEO. “We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Pagliaro on her promotion to Chief Medical Officer, while we are grateful to have Dr. Goldfine continuing on in the role of Physician Executive.”

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pagliaro will immediately assume all responsibilities of the Executive Leadership position and full oversight of the organization’s clinical healthcare services, including the delivery of care to more than 11,000 patients, clients, and their families each year.

Dr. Pagliaro has served in several leading roles over her many years at Samaritan. She first joined Samaritan in 2012 as a Hospice & Palliative Physician, and later advanced to Associate Director of Palliative Medicine and then Vice President of Medical Services. As a respected leader, advocate and educator, Dr. Pagliaro works closely with Samaritan’s hospice teams and oversees the organization’s expanding inpatient palliative services at area hospitals and nursing facilities. She is Medical Director of Jefferson Health East (NJ) Palliative Medicine and serves on Jefferson’s Ethics and Cancer Committees. A recognized expert in dementia care, she also regularly collaborates with the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation. Prior to joining Samaritan, Dr. Pagliaro served as Medical Director at University Doctors and Assistant Professor of Rowan University of Osteopathic Medicine, where she earned her Doctor of Osteopathy in 2006 and continues to serve as a volunteer faculty member.

Dr. Goldfine has served as Samaritan’s Chief Medical Officer since 2003 when he first joined the organization. For over 20 years, he has provided dedicated oversight and care for Samaritan patients and their families, while leading the expansion of the organization’s healthcare services from hospice to palliative medicine, primary care and more. As Physician Executive, Dr. Goldfine will continue to support Samaritan’s established Home Visit Physicians and Palliative Medical Partners programs.

For more information on Samaritan’s life enhancing care and services, visit www.samaritannj.org.

About Samaritan:

Samaritan is a not-for-profit, independent organization locally founded in Moorestown, New Jersey in 1980 as one of the first hospices in the country. Samaritan is now one of the State’s leading providers of hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, at-home primary care, grief support and counseling, advanced illness care, education and advocacy. Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief wherever they call home. Samaritan also has two dedicated inpatient hospice centers in Voorhees and Mount Holly. Beyond the services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance plans, Samaritan annually provides nearly $1M in donor-funded non-reimbursed care for patients and families in the South Jersey region. A thrift shop in Westmont also supports Samaritan services and programs. Samaritan is accredited by The Joint Commission; a member of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation; and is a four-star hospice in the national We Honor Veterans program. For more information, visit www.SamaritanNJ.org.