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Yolo Hospice stays true to its roots

March 2006 Enterprise article by Pam Eimers

For many of us, it seems that hospice has been around forever. What you may not realize, however, is that the first hospice in the U.S. was founded just 32 years ago in Branford, Connecticut.

Five years later, in 1979, Yolo Hospice was founded by a group of dedicated volunteers, making Yolo Hospice the first hospice care provider in our area. This also makes Yolo Hospice one of the most enduring organizations of its kind in the country.

This group of community volunteers believed strongly that we all deserve to live our last days in peace, with our dignity intact, and at home if we so choose.

They learned all they could about the new hospice movement and its approach to medical care. They raised awareness. They provided care and support for people in their last phase of life. And they raised funds so that eventually Yolo Hospice could hire a few employees.

In 1983 the Federal government officially recognized hospice as a medical provider, allowing hospice programs to become state-licensed and Medicare certified and thus receive reimbursement for their services to Medicare recipients. Even so, Yolo Hospice chose to continue to serve patients on a volunteer basis for another 10 years, preferring to stay with the original community service model.

In 1994, the demand for hospice care having outgrown the practicality of a volunteer agency, Yolo Hospice became state licensed and Medicare certified. That transition was coordinated by one of the organization's registered nurses, Judy Alexander, who now serves as CEO.

Today Yolo Hospice remains the only independent, nonprofit hospice serving our region.

Begun as a volunteer effort, Yolo Hospice has evolved into a solid nonprofit business. Yet the deep desire to give something of true and lasting value to the community, which drove our original founders, still permeates the organization today.

This is most evident in three areas. Community bereavement services, community outreach on end-of-life issues and patient care volunteer services.

Yolo Hospice commits a higher ratio of hours to community bereavement services and education programs on end-of-life issues than is customary for hospice organizations. (It's the generous donations we receive that allow us to serve our communities at this level.)

Yolo Hospice is committed to providing bereavement services to anyone in our area who needs this type of support. Their loved one does not need to have been a hospice patient. Yolo Hospice provides 40% more hours of bereavement support than is standard.

Educational outreach is another area we have chosen to commit more resources to than is standard. We offer education programs to both community groups and professional audiences. Last year Yolo Hospice reached more than 2000 community members through presentations.

All hospices that provide care to individuals living in nursing homes or other care facilities are mandated to provide trainings to the staffs of those facilities. Yolo Hospice consistently provides two to three times the number of mandated trainings in each facility.

We do this because sharing our clinician's expertise with other professionals can enhance the care all individuals receive at the end of life.

Our patient care volunteers echo loudest the volunteer roots of Yolo Hospice. More than 50 men and women from throughout the region provide companionship and loving support to patients and families - two to three times more hours then what regulations require. This adds up to a significant investment in volunteerism.

Yolo Hospice has come a long way in 26 years. As we care for each family and look to the future we cling securely to the values upon which this grassroots effort was founded, the focus on giving to the community that makes us unique.

The Yolo Hospice spring newsletter will be mailed soon. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, are interested in volunteer opportunities, or would like more information on hospice services, please call 758-5566.

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Quotes

Ted Skiera
"I've worked for 20+ years in cardiovascular and oncology nursing, most recently working as a nurse coordinator in cardiovascular research. My work with Yolo Hospice has enabled me to focus all of my acute clinical experiences into caring for patients, and their loved ones, during a most challenging period of their lives."
~Ted Skiera, RN