W. June Simmons

MSW ’70

W. June Simmons is a visionary practitioner and administrator in social work practice, including mental health, hospice and palliative care with a focus on gerontology. She is nationally recognized for her innovative leadership, crafting services of demonstrably high quality and affordability. She has astutely linked social work’s role and skills to improve health outcomes with opportunities presented through federal initiatives, including the Affordable Care Act.

As president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurses Association, Simmons took a financially troubled organization and founded Partners in Care Foundation (PICF) in 1997. It is recognized as a model evidence-based, cost-effective program, providing care and prevention education to communities at risk, older populations and clients facing end of life issues. Simmons’ development of PICF addressed the changing reality of where and how consumers address their health care needs. She integrated PICF’s work with community organizations and public and private funders, an approach that has since been replicated across the country.

Simmons was the first MSW at Huntington Memorial Hospital in 1972, and expanded the social work department into a multi-faceted and highly-respected social work service. She created innovative programs such as a senior care center, a child abuse and trauma center, a sexual assault center and a court guardianship assessment center.

Her many prestigious honors include the Ida M. Cannon Award and the Eleanor Clark Award for Innovative Programs in Patient Care from the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC), 1988; a Trailblazers in Aging Award for distinguished service from the National Council on Aging, 2011; and the James A. Vohs Award for Quality from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation, 2005.