Press Releases

Announcing Mission Possible: Now and Forever

June 11, 2024

For Immediate Release
Contacts: Kristin Mostowski, Director of Public Relations | Community Hospice & Health Services | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301
Mission Possible – Now & Forever

Modesto (June 12, 2024) – Community Hospice & Health Services Foundation is excited to announce the Public Phase of their Mission Possible – Now & Forever Campaign. This strategic community initiative aims to raise more than six million dollars to support Community Hospice & Health Services, the oldest and largest non-profit hospice and support services organization caring for those in the Central Valley of California the past 45 years. There are two aspects to the campaign, Now and Forever.

The “Now” component addresses the following patient centered needs:

  • The evolution of core hospice care services includes strengthening the interdisciplinary clinical teams to best serve our diverse communities.
  • Expansion of our pediatric hospice and palliative care programs which will encompass a new Family Suite at the Alexander Cohen Hospice House and modernization of patient care systems.
  • Developing a home for Hope Counseling and Bereavement Services to meet the growing needs of our community members who are dealing with mental health issues and/or grieving the loss of a loved one.

The “Forever” aspect of the campaign is geared to build the Endowment. This fund will ensure Community Hospice & Health Services is here for generations to come, meeting the needs of those at end-of-life and the emotionally hurt through quality programs that have the hallmarks of compassionate care and stellar education.

The Mission Possible effort is led by Chairman Tom Eakin who shared, “I am truly honored to be a part of this opportunity to invest in the future of this worthy non-profit organization that consistently turns no one away for hospice services based on ability to pay.”

Tom is joined by the campaign Leadership Cabinet of 50 distinguished, mission minded individuals who are passionate about ensuring Community Hospice & Health Services is available to you and your family when you need them most.

Foundation Executive Director, Monica Ojcius stated, “As we launch the public phase of Mission Possible – Now & Forever we are thrilled to communicate that we have commitments of over $3 million dollars to date.  Thanks to a group of devoted donors who have dedicated a $2 million dollar challenge grant, we are off to an excellent start!”

One of the early contributors is Kathy Olivera who is helping to develop the Hope Counseling and Bereavement Center. Kathy has had two significant hospice experiences in her life. The first was when she lost her mother and the second was the devastating loss of her teenage son. Kathy noted, “I am uplifted that Community Hospice & Health Services is expanding their Hope Counseling and Bereavement Support programs to serve our community. I have given a leadership gift to ensure other people will not have to go through the pain I experienced without access to the help they need.” Kathy joins the 89% of families reported by Hospice Compare Data in May of 2024 who would recommend Community Hospice & Health Services as their hospice agency of choice.

“The mission and compassionate care provided by Community Hospice & Health Services is critical for our community members in their time of need,” shared Alisa Bettis, Community Hospice & Health Services President/CEO, “Please join us today in becoming an “Agent for Good” to make our Mission Possible Campaign a success.”

To learn more about the Mission Possible Campaign and how your gift can make a lasting impact or create a legacy, call 209.578.6370 or go to give.hospiceheart.org.

About Community Hospice & Health Services Foundation

Community Hospice & Health Services Foundation is a community-based nonprofit, raising awareness and funds to support the patients and families of Community Hospice & Health Services. 

About Community Hospice & Health Services

Community Hospice & Health Services is a nonprofit, community-based agency, serving the Central Valley since 1979. Community Hospice & Health Services embraces more than 2,500 patients and families each year providing support through vital programs including hospice and palliative care for adults and pediatrics, general inpatient care at the Alexander Cohen Hospice House, hospice family bereavement support, outpatient mental health counseling for adults and children, community crisis response and Camp Wokini, a youth camp for children and teens who have experiences loss. For more information about Community Hospice & Health Services programs call 209.578.6300, visit hospiceheart.org, or email mpr@hospiceheart.org. ###

Community Hospice & Health Services Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

May 29, 2024

For Immediate Release

Contacts: Kristin Mostowski, Director of Public Relations | Community Hospice | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301

Community Hospice & Health Services Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Modesto (May 22, 2024) – Community Hospice & Health Services, the oldest and largest nonprofit hospice and support services agency serving the Central Valley, announced the appointment of Ms. Toby Benguerel as the organization’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ms. Benguerel joined Community Hospice & Health Services on Monday, May 20, 2024, in her new role.

Ms. Benguerel brings to Community Hospice & Health Services more than 15 years’ professional experience in corporate finance and treasury, accounting, tax and risk management. She also brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in corporate operations and strategy to the CFO role. Prior to joining Community Hospice & Health Services, Ms. Benguerel served as the Chief Financial Officer for Yosemite Pathology Medical Group and held financial leadership roles in the manufacturing and construction industries. She also spent time in the public accounting sector performing audits and assurance services.

“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Benguerel to Community Hospice & Health Services,” said Alisa Bettis, President/CEO. “We are confident that her leadership and vast finance operations experience will continue to improve our financial performance, maintain our mission, and help position Community Hospice & Health Services for a bright and strong future.”

Ms. Benguerel has a Master of Science in Accountancy from California State University, Sacramento. She is a Certified Public Accountant, member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and serves on the Board of Directors for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. She also currently serves as the President of the San Joaquin Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

About Community Hospice & Health Services

Community Hospice & Health Services is a nonprofit, community-based agency, serving the Central Valley since 1979. Community Hospice & Health Services embraces more than 2,500 patients and families each year providing support through vital programs including hospice and palliative care for adults and pediatrics, general inpatient care at the Alexander Cohen Hospice House, bereavement support, outpatient mental health counseling for adults and children, and Camp Wokini, a youth camp for children and teens who have experiences loss. For more information about Community Hospice & Health Services programs call 209.578.6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.

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Community Hospice Announces New President/Chief Executive Officer Alisa Bettis

August 24, 2022

MODESTO, CA (August 24, 2022) – Community Hospice, Inc., the Central Valley’s oldest and largest nonprofit hospice and community-based palliative care provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Alisa Bettis as the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer effective September 6, 2022. Ms. Bettis replaces C. DeSha McLeod, Community Hospice’s President/CEO, who resigned after eight years in October of 2021, and John E. Renner, Director of Logistics and Operations who has served as the Interim President/CEO.

“We welcome Alisa to the Community Hospice family,” shared Susan Donker, Community Hospice Board of Directors Chair. “Her background in clinical operations, quality and planning and compliance, along with her compassionate character, will play a pivotal role as we extend our excellent care to more families in need.”

Ms. Bettis has been employed the past six years as the Associate Director for the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. In her current role, she managed a $60 million annual budget, 500 employees, 55,000 patient visits a year, clinical operations for family medicine, multispecialty, physical rehabilitation, and urgent care clinics. Prior to her position with the county, Alisa worked in leadership roles at both Bloss Memorial Healthcare District/Castle Family Health Centers and Kaiser Permanente.

“We are thrilled to have Alisa join Community Hospice and feel she is a perfect complement to our Leadership team and Community Hospice family,” said John E. Renner, Interim President/CEO. “Her invaluable background and experiences will support our staff and most importantly, help us better serve our patients and their families.”

“I am very excited to join Community Hospice and its excellent team. For more than 40 years, Community Hospice has grown from an inspired idea by two registered nurses to a respected and leading provider of vital service for those with serious and life-limiting illness in the Central Valley area,” said Ms. Bettis. “I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to work with the dedicated Community Hospice and Foundation Boards, volunteers and incredibly talented healthcare professionals and staff.”

Ms. Bettis holds a Bachelor’s degree from California State University Sacramento, in Health Sciences with a concentration in Healthcare Administration and Community Health Education and a Master’s of Business Administration from California State University Stanislaus. She is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Healthcare Accreditation, Healthcare Compliance and Lean Healthcare Trained.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is a nonprofit, community-based hospice agency, serving the Central Valley since 1979. Community Hospice embraces individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all. Care extends to over 2,000 patients and families every year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities and at the sixteen-room Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides palliative care, grief and mental health support. For more information, please call 209.578.6300 or visit give.hospiceheart.org.

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Contact

Kristin Mostowski 209.402.5154

Kristin.mostowski@hospiceheart

Community Hospice 20th Annual Gala

March 22, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kristin Mostowski, Director of Public Relations | Community Hospice | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301

March 19, 2021

MEDIA ADVISORY

Community Hospice Foundation 20th Annual Gala

Route 66 Road Trip Edition

WHAT:  Get your kicks on Route 66 at the Community Hospice Foundation 20th Annual Gala. Participants will enjoy a special Road Trip experience including appetizers, a multi-course take-home dinner with wine pairings and other special surprises and goodies. Trip admission is $225 per person.

All are invited to participate in a special raffle drawing for a chance to win a brand-new Toyota Corolla, donated by Modesto Toyota. Raffle tickets may be purchased Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. by calling the Community Hospice Foundation at 209.578.6370. Raffle tickets are $50 for one or $100 for three. The raffle winner will be drawn on May 21, 2021 on Facebook Live @CommunityHospiceCV.

In addition, one may also participate in an online auction on Handbid. To participate, download the Handbid App or go to events.handbid.com and search for Community Hospice Foundation. The Auction opens on May 6, 2021 at noon. To make reservations for this event or to donate, please visit https://give.classy.org/CHFGalaRoadTrip2021. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Your generous support ensures that Community Hospice can continue to provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to those in our community during a fragile time of life. We are grateful for the impact you are making in the lives of our patients and families.

WHO:    All community members are invited to participate. Trip admission may be purchased at give.hospiceheart.org or by calling 209.578.6370.

WHEN:  May 15, 2021

               4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: 3400 Finch Rd.

                Modesto, CA. 95354

ABOUT: Founded by two volunteer registered nurses in 1979, Community Hospice, the oldest and largest nonprofit hospice provider in the Central Valley, has provided compassionate and quality care, comfort and support to thousands of friends and neighbors facing terminal illnesses in their time of need. Today, Community Hospice provides care to over 2,000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Grief Support Services are also available to anyone that has experienced a loss. For additional information call 209.578.6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.

Community Hospice Celebrates National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and Expansion of Services to Include Community-Based Palliative Care Program

November 19, 2018

For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Kristin Mostowski | Director of Public Relations, Community Hospice | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301

Community Hospice Celebrates National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and Expansion of Services to Include Community-Based Palliative Care Program

November is a month of many celebrations, including National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. For Community Hospice, it is a time we share our gra​titude with those that are important to us, our patients and families, community partners, staff and many volunteers. For nearly 40 years, we have been blessed to walk alongside our friends and neighbors as they face their end-of-life journey. Community Hospice has been dedicated to not only guiding and supporting those with a life-limiting illness; we have explored finding a way to support our community members that have a serious illness who also need guidance and support and are pleased to have expanded our services to include a community-based palliative care program. You may be asking, what does that mean and can it help me or my loved one?

In 1990, the World Health Organization defined palliative care “to address not only physical pain, but also emotional, social, and spiritual pain to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families”. Sounds very similar to the definition of hospice, right? In an effort by hospice programs to increase access to care earlier in a patient’s illness journey, and for some to overcome the stigma of the word “hospice”, many hospices adopted the term “palliative care”. Over time, care models for both hospice and palliative care evolved along with the definition of palliative care.

Today, palliative care is defined by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) as “specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family… Palliative Care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided along with curative treatment.”

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, founded in 1978, began as the National Hospice Organization. It was not until February of 2000 that they changed their name and logo to National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. This significant change catapulted the palliative care model into our healthcare system.

Palliative care is among one the fastest growing trends in healthcare today but is still vastly underutilized. Models include inpatient palliative care in hospitals, stand-alone or hospital-based palliative care clinics and community-based palliative care, or a combination of one or more of these. Interestingly though, Medicare does not reimburse for these services nor are there any federal or state regulations governing palliative care programs. California released guidelines only in preparation for the Medi-Cal palliative care benefit in late 2017.

“Palliative care is quickly growing and Community Hospice is proud to have expanded our services to include the only community-based palliative care program available to residents of Stanislaus and Merced counties,” shared C. Desha McLeod, President/CEO of Community Hospice. “Our palliative care program is another way we are able to continue to meet the needs of our community members, helping fulfil our mission of providing compassionate and quality care, education and support to community members in their time of need.”

Community Hospice entered the palliative care arena when an opportunity arose to participate in a pilot project with a local Managed Medi-Cal plan in late 2016. After acceptance into the pilot, a Director of Palliative Care was hired and our palliative care team began to take shape. On July 17, 2017, we admitted our first palliative care patient into the pilot project. Since that date, California’s Medi-Cal benefit became effective on January 1, 2018 providing for reimbursement to state licensed hospice agencies, or home health agencies also licensed as a hospice, for palliative care services and care to their members.

In July 2018, we joined the Palliative Care Quality Network (PCQN) based out of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Monthly, our palliative care data is submitted to PCQN. As we gain history, we will have access to benchmarking data which will be utilized to further develop our palliative care model.

On September 28, 2018, Community Hospice was awarded a $100,000 grant to provide palliative care services to individuals in a specific 17 zip code area, mainly the southern part of Stanislaus County. These funds will be used for palliative care services to those without a payor source.

“We are grateful for all those that have provided us guidance and support as we developed our palliative care program and feel blessed to be able to help more people in our community in their time of need,” shared DeSha McLeod.

For more information about Community Hospice services, contact 209.578.6340 or visit hospiceheart.org.

About Community Hospice
Community Hospice is a nonprofit, community based hospice agency, serving the San Joaquin Valley since 1979. Community Hospice provides compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and their families, regardless of the ability to pay. Care extends to more than 2000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the 16-room Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides grief support services to anyone in the community at no cost. For more information call (209) 578-6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.
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