Joliets New Medical Director

Dr. Muhamad Krad

Medical Director Dr. Muhamad Krad

Dr. Muhamad Krad has been named as the new Medical Director at Joliet Area Community Hospice (JACH) effective July 1st. Dr. Krad will succeed Dr. J.D. Wright who is retiring at the end of June. Dr. Krad, specializing in Internal Medicine currently at Amita Health serving Adventist Hospitals in LaGrange and Hinsdale, has also worked part time at JACH for the past year. He graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago, followed by a Masters at Georgetown University and subsequently Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in 2008. Dr. Krad completed residency at the University of Chicago in 2011 and practiced both hospital and hospice medicine at Palos Health through 2016.

“Having more than 7 years of diverse experience in internal medicine, the addition of Dr. Krad to our staff of hospice physicians has been seamless. He is truly a caring and very capable physician,” said Mary K. Sheehan, CEO. “Working hand in hand with our dedicated, knowledgeable staff and the families of our patients, Dr. Krad provides expert pain management and symptom control. He recognizes that each person’s experience and story is unique and their goals at end of life are different. We are thrilled that he has accepted the role of Medical Director.”

While never planning to become our hospice director, Dr. Krad knew it was the right path for him after just a few months at Joliet Area Community Hospice.

“I am very happy to have joined this wonderful, forward-thinking group. We have an excellent team that works together and truly prioritizes our patients and families. Having grown up and lived most my life in Chicago’s southwest suburbs I feel at home. I look forward to continue serving and caring for our community and our families.”

Joliet Area Community Hospice provides compassionate, professional hospice and palliative care to over 30,000 terminally ill patients and their families since 1982. JACH built the first hospice home in-patient unit in the State of Illinois. Currently, JACH serves over 300 patients each day, wherever “home is” for our patients.

In the past two years alone, Joliet Area Community Hospice provided over $1.3 million in charity care, community bereavement programs, unreimbursed pediatric hospice and palliative care, and community outreach. We are a not-for-profit corporation, state licensed, Medicare/Medicaid certified and supported by United Way of Will and Grundy Counties. We serve patients in greater Will, Grundy, LaSalle, Livingston and Kendall counties along with portions of Cook, DuPage, and Kankakee.

Wonderlight 2026: Caring Through the Senses

Wonderlight 2026: Caring Through the Senses We recently celebrated Lightways’ Integrative Therapies Program at our annual dinner, Wonderlight. Through this year’s theme, “Caring Through the Senses,” guests learned about the meaningful impact that massage therapy,...

read more

When the Music Plays, Grace Wakes Up

When the Music Plays, Grace Wakes Up At Lightways Hospice, our care goes beyond medical needs to also focus on the things that bring our patients comfort and joy. For Grace, one of those things is music. Whenever her music therapist, Julia, visits, Grace responds, and...

read more

Iliana’s Legacy Song & Dream Quinceañera

Iliana’s Legacy Song & Dream Quinceañera At 17 years old, Iliana had faced an incredibly difficult journey living with pulmonary hypertension. Her family, through the Joyful Moments program, was able to gift her a dream princess-inspired quinceañera, but what...

read more

Turning Loss & Love Into an Extraordinary Gift

Turning Loss and Love Into an Extraordinary Gift When beloved Jan died from cancer, the Lynch family turned to Lightways for support as they navigated their grief together. Months later, they found a meaningful way to honor Jan’s memory - and help other families...

read more

The Power of Connection: Stories from Integrative Therapy

When the Music Plays, Grace Wakes Up. For Grace, music has a way of reaching her. Grace has been receiving services from Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care since February 2023, including nursing care, supplies, and support from the Lightways Integrative Therapy team. For more than three years, a team has supported her care, focusing not only on her medical needs but also on the things that bring her comfort and joy.

read more

The Grief Experience in the Beginning

After losing a loved one, many describe grief in similar ways: “My world stopped while everything else kept going,” or “It feels like the ground was pulled out from under me.” Some say it’s like losing a part of themselves. Grief affects every part of a person, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual—often bringing intense feelings, racing thoughts, trouble concentrating, and changes in sleep or appetite. It can leave people feeling overwhelmed, disoriented, and exhausted.

read more