It is with a very heavy heart I am sending this email that our good friend and longtime CMSA leader, Margaret "Peggy" Leonard, passed away on Sunday morning, September 15. If you attended our June conference in Las Vegas at the Mirage, you enjoyed seeing her surprise when the CMSA Foundation leaders called her up to the stage to accept a plaque for her commitment to the support of case managers through the Foundation. Her work with our Foundation was only the tip of the iceberg. Peggy was a Past National President, National Case Manager of the Year and recipient of our National Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a leader and founder of several of the New York CMSA Chapters, an active public policy committee chair emeritus and a staunch advocate of the CMSA Foundation.
Peggy, a national leader in healthcare innovation, played a key role in all major aspects of healthcare policy and practice. Most recently she was national vice president for medical management for MVP Health Care, a managed healthcare organization in New York State (NYS) with 750,000+ members. Peggy oversaw a department of 230 staff including clinically licensed practitioners. In addition, she was the executive director of Westchester Cares Action Program (WCAP), an Integrated Care Program of medical health/mental health/substance use disorder/social determinant issues.
Her leadership extended far beyond her day job, serving as co-chair of New York State Department of Health Workgroup on Health Homes, chair of New York State Board of Nursing, member of National Quality Forum Quality Measurement, Research and Improvement Council, former member of the National Quality Forum Steering Committee for Care Coordination, chair of the National Transitions of Care Public Policy Task Force, former member for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Transitions of Care Technical Expert Panel (TEP), member of American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Certification, and adjunct instructor at the College of New Rochelle, School of Nursing teaching Politics of Healthcare. Peggy knew healthcare from all angles.
She is survived by her daughter, Denise Murphy McGraw, son Billy Murphy, spouses Hanne Robins Murphy and David McGraw, along with her beloved grandchildren, Caroline, Piper and Beckham. Peggy's beloved husband Ron Leonard preceded her in death 4 months ago.
A quote by Maya Angelou I always felt described Peggy in every way..."My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive: and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." Her friendship and mentorship was a huge blessing not only in my life but has been felt by all who met her and especially for CMSA as an organization! She will truly be missed and will live in our hearts forever.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Fraser, MSN, MHA, RN-BC, CCM, CRRN, FAAN
CMSA Executive Director