Angela
Palliative Care

Dr. James Boal has been a part of the Angela Hospice team for over 20 years, starting as Medical Director in 2000, then becoming Chief Medical Officer in 2017. Since 2007 he’s served as the Medical Director at St. Mary Mercy Hospital’s Palliative Care Program as well, a program he helped start. A graduate of Wayne State University’s College of Medicine – where he is now a Clinical Associate Professor – Dr. Boal is a member of the Michigan HomeCare and Hospice Association, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care. Double-board certified with the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board, and American Board of Family Medicine, Dr. Boal’s work outside of Angela Hospice includes teaching engagements across the state, educating the next generation of hospice doctors, and speaking engagements covering all things hospice.

Laurine Catalano began working with Angela's Chief Medical Director, Dr. James Boal, in 2007 when they collaborated to develop the Palliative Care Program at St. Mary Mercy Hospital. Prior to working at St. Mary’s, she was on staff at Providence Hospital. With over 40 years of nursing experience, Laurine has worked in a variety of specialties, from neonatal intensive care to orthopedics, oncology, and more. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from University of Phoenix and she earned certification as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from Madonna University. Laurine joined Angela's team as a full-time nurse practitioner in 2017.

Prior to becoming Angela Hospice's Executive Director in 2022, Jamie LaLonde spent the last 15 years working with the geriatric population in residential settings. Holding various roles, her last six years as an administrator allowed her to use and develop skills to support her love of program development, mentoring teams and supporting older adults. LaLonde is a licensed Master of Social Work and earned a Graduate Certificate in gerontology through Eastern Michigan University. She completed the Nursing Home Administrator Program from Ferris State University in August 2020 and also holds instructor status for several different modalities of dementia care education and programming. LaLonde most recently became an adjunct lecturer at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. She has also volunteered with the Alzheimer’s Association, Arbor Hospice, and the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center.

Jordan Richter joined the Angela First Care program in August 2021 and is the Nurse Practitioner for Angela Palliative Care. She received her Master of Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a Hospice and Palliative Specialty from Madonna University in August 2021. She is board certified in hospice and palliative care. From 2014 to 2021 Jordan worked at St. Mary Mercy Hospital and Ascension Providence Hospital, where she was an assistant clinical leader and charge nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. The University of Detroit Mercy alumna – where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with an Addiction Studies Minor – also volunteers with St. Thomas a’Becket in Canton, as both a Eucharistic Minister and Parish Nurse; the Motor City Mountain Bike Association; and the National Mountain Bike Patrol.

Joining the Angela Hospice team in October 2022, Nicole Sonnenberg brings with her more than 17 years of nursing experience in home hospice, addiction medicine, emergency medicine, and behavioral health. The board-certified nurse practitioner worked for Hospice of Michigan from 2019-2021, and prior to that, spent the majority of her career in the cardiac step-down and critical care units at Grosse Pointe Beaumont. Nicole is an alumna of Oakland University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006, and in 2022 she received her Master of Science in Nursing from Madonna University in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program. Currently, she’s a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing, the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

As Palliative Care Program Coordinator, Melissa Tapp is typically your first point of contact with Angela Palliative Care. Melissa is available to answer questions, schedule appointments, coordinate resources, and help meet patient needs. With a love for helping others, Melissa spent 24 years working as a licensed massage therapist before transitioning to a career as a Care Coordinator, first with Testpointe Living Centers, before joining Angela’s team. “I just knew I still wanted to help people in some way,” she said. In addition, Melissa recently received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Walden University.