HCS names Karen Gomes permanent CEO after months of transition

For Sullivan County families who depend on home health visits, hospice support, meals for seniors and rides to appointments, the leadership question at Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services is no longer open. The Keene-based nonprofit has formally named Karen Gomes its president and CEO, ending months of transition at an agency that serves people across the Monadnock Region.

HCS said the appointment took effect May 1, after Gomes had served as interim CEO since November 2025. She stepped into the role after former chief executive Maura McQueeney retired in November 2025, following seven years leading the organization. HCS made the permanent appointment public in a May 5 news release.

The board’s decision signals that it wants continuity at a moment when access to in-home and end-of-life care remains hard to replace quickly in small communities such as Charlestown and the broader Sullivan County area. HCS operates in Keene, Charlestown and Peterborough, and says it serves roughly 2,000 people a day through home health care, hospice, senior meals, transportation help and related services. Board Chair Susan Simonds said Gomes’ leadership has been “nothing short of remarkable.”

Gomes comes to the permanent job with more than 20 years of leadership experience in geriatric care, home health, hospice and population health management. HCS identifies her as Karen Gomes, RN, MS, COS-C. Before joining HCS, she founded and owned RN Answers, LLC, a consulting business serving home health and hospice agencies across New England and New York, and she previously served as president and CEO of Tufts Medicine Care at Home.

That background matters for patients and caregivers who rely on HCS to coordinate services that often intersect with fragile health, limited transportation and an aging population. The organization’s leadership page says Gomes brings experience across the continuum of care, a fit that suggests HCS is looking not just for stability, but for a leader who can manage staffing, service demand and access pressures while preserving day-to-day operations.

HCS listed Katie Hart, senior director of operations, as the contact on the announcement. With the permanent hire now in place, the nonprofit enters the next phase of its transition under a leader who has already spent months inside the job and who now faces the challenge of keeping care steady for patients and families who have few alternatives close to home.