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Gentiva(R) Health Services Names Weaver As Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer to Drive Company's Clinical Leadership and Innovation

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 15:01 CDT

MELVILLE, N.Y., July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc. , the nation's leading provider of comprehensive home health services, today announced the appointment of Charlotte A. Weaver, RN, PhD, as Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer, a new title at the Company.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080716/NYW113 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060323/NYTH117LOGO )

Dr. Weaver brings to Gentiva more than 27 years of experience in nursing informatics, patient safety and quality, evidence-based nursing practices and healthcare automation. She reports to Chairman and CEO Ron Malone.

At Gentiva, Dr. Weaver directs clinical practice standards, operations and innovation. She will drive the Company's clinical leadership and innovation as Gentiva continues to advance homecare as an emerging solution to important national health issues for an aging population. With her extensive nursing background, Dr. Weaver will work to enhance Gentiva's strong position as an employer of choice for nurses, therapists and other clinicians. As a recognized expert in healthcare informatics, she will also be involved in Gentiva's technology initiatives to drive capacity and productivity.

"We welcome Dr. Weaver as Gentiva's chief clinician," Malone said in making the announcement. "Her background, experience and vision for healthcare dovetail perfectly with Gentiva's drive for clinical excellence, its focus on evidence-based patient outcomes and the need for home health to join with government and other payers to implement electronic medical records and other healthcare technology advancements. We believe Dr. Weaver will be a great asset as Gentiva continues to set the pace for our industry in clinical standards and innovation."

"I'm pleased to become part of an organization that's transforming the delivery of healthcare to Americans," Dr. Weaver said. "Gentiva is already a pioneer in the development and implementation of specialized home health services and I plan to see that our Company continues to raise the bar in all clinical areas, from standards and practices to technology. At the same time, Gentiva must remain a preferred destination for clinicians who want the best resources, a rewarding professional and personal environment and the chance to be on the leading edge of change in home healthcare."

Dr. Weaver joins Gentiva from Cerner Corporation, a global healthcare information technology company, where she served as Executive Director and Vice President, Nursing Research since last year, and as Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President, Patient Care Systems from 1999 to 2007. She was a senior executive, analyst and consultant advising a number of healthcare organizations on nursing informatics and related areas from 1979 to 1999. Dr. Weaver holds a doctorate in medical anthropology from the University of California-San Francisco and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the same field at the University of Hawaii. She also holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology and a master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Washington, and a nursing diploma from St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. During and after her pursuit of education, Dr. Weaver served for 14 years with five organizations as a clinical nurse specialist in oncology, coronary care and surgical intensive care.

A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Weaver is widely published in her field. She was chief editor of the award-winning 2006 book, "Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century: An International Look at Practice, Trends and the Future." She also serves on the boards of several university schools of nursing, as well as committees of a number of organizations dedicated to health informatics and the practice of nursing.

About Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. is the nation's leading provider of comprehensive home health services. The Company serves patients across the United States, through its direct service delivery units or through CareCentrix(R), which manages home health services for major managed care organizations. Gentiva is a single source for skilled nursing; physical, occupational, speech and neurorehabilitation services; hospice services; social work; nutrition; disease management education; help with daily living activities; respiratory therapy and home medical equipment; infusion therapy services; and other therapies and services. Gentiva's revenues are generated from federal and state government programs, commercial insurance and individual consumers. For more information, visit Gentiva's web site, http://www.gentiva.com/, and its investor relations section at http://investors.gentiva.com/. GTIV-G

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements contained in this news release, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes,""anticipates,""intends,""expects,""assumes,""trends" and similar expressions, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current plans, expectations and projections about future events. However, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: economic and business conditions; demographic changes; changes in, or failure to comply with, existing governmental regulations; legislative proposals for healthcare reform; changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels, including changes to the Medicare home health Prospective Payment System effective January 1, 2008; effects of competition in the markets in which the Company operates; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; availability and terms of capital; loss of significant contracts or reduction in revenues associated with major payer sources; ability of customers to pay for services; business disruption due to natural disasters or terrorist acts; ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquisitions the Company may make and achieve expected synergies and operational efficiencies within expected time-frames; effect on liquidity of the Company's debt service requirements; a material shift in utilization within capitated agreements; and changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies and estimates. For a detailed discussion of certain of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in this news release, please refer to the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the "Risk Factors" section contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2007.

Contact: David Fluhrer 631-501-7102 516-589-0778 david.fluhrer@gentiva.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080716/NYW113http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060323/NYTH117LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN13PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

CONTACT: David Fluhrer, +1-631-501-7102, +1-516-589-0778,david.fluhrer@gentiva.com

Web site: http://www.gentiva.com/http://investors.gentiva.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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