Press Releases

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.

###

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.
###​​​​

​​

An Act from the Heart

October 20, 2016

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

An Act from the Heart

Modesto (October 19, 2016)– Local community member and boy scout Aidan Cabelera, age 17, has a dream to follow in the footsteps of his role models, his grandfather Dennis Snider and great-grandfather Hank Ethier, both of whom have passed. Giving back and supporting the community is something that is near and dear to his family. Aidan has chosen to follow his grandfather’s path and is working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. A requirement of becoming an Eagle Scout is planning, developing and providing leadership to others in a service project that will benefit a community organization.

“Community Hospice holds a special place in my family’s hearts,” said Aidan Cabelera. “My family was blessed to have Community Hospice provide services and support when my great-grandfather passed.” Hank and Dennis were both supporters of Community Hospice and spent a great deal of time volunteering for the organization. They believed in the mission of providing compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and their families, regardless of ability to pay.

Aidan’s great-grandfather Hank also proudly served in the United States Military. Community Hospice has long dreamed of creating a Veterans Pavilion to honor both community veterans and veteran families that have been recipients of Community Hospice services. Aidan’s Eagle Scout project became the catalyst in moving forward the Veterans Pavilion project when he approached the Community Hospice Foundation about installing a flag pole to honor his great-grandfather. The aspiring Eagle Scout formed a successful campaign to help raise the funds needed for his flag pole memorial project.

Community Hospice’s Veterans Pavilion will provide a space for families to honor their loved ones who have passed that have served in the armed forces. The Pavilion will include a reflection patio and will allow people the opportunity to sit and reflect on the life of a loved one. Engraved memorial bricks and pavers are available for purchase through give.hospiceheart.org. All proceeds benefit the patients, families and programs of Community Hospice.
The Community Hospice Veterans Pavilion dedication ceremony will take place on November 11, 2016 at 11:00 a.m at their main campus at 4368 Spyres Way in Modesto. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided following the event.

About Community Hospice
Community Hospice is a nonprofit, community based hospice agency, serving the Central 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 is provided extends to over 250 patients every day in private homes, skilled nursing facilities and at the sixteen-room Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides bereavement and grief support to anyone in the community. For more information please call (209) 578-6300 or visit www.hospiceheart.org.

Community Hospice Unveils New Logo

February 1, 2016

Community Hospice

On February 1, 2016, Community Hospice, Inc. the longest standing non-profit hospice agency in the San Joaquin Valley unveiled a fresh new logo that reflects our identity and celebrates growth built over the last three decades.

The launch of the new logo kicks off a rebranding campaign for the Community Hospice organization. Community Hospice has evolved from its start in 1979. As patient support is our primary focus, our organization has grown to meet the needs of the community. We now offer grief and bereavement support, crisis support, a 16-bed inpatient hospice facility (the Alexander Cohen Hospice House), six Hope Chest Thrift Stores, Camp Erin® Modesto, community education and more.

“Our previous logo was created nearly two decades ago and has served the organization well. As we look to the future and continue our focus on the community, we recognize the need to refresh our image,” explained C. DeSha McLeod, President/CEO of Community Hospice. “This new logo embodies our original tagline, Helping Hands…Healing Hearts, which is what we do every day.”

Community Hospice enlisted a local Modesto business, Martino Graphic Design, Inc. to assist with the development of a new logo. The final product was established after many hours of dialogue, focus groups and attention to detail. Our desired outcome was to stay within the same color realm and symbolism of our previous logo and to give the new logo a fresh look that visibly represents who we are and more importantly what is vital to us, our community.

Our complete rebranding rollout will take place over the next few years. As we are good stewards of our resources we will replace signage and larger branding items as they need replacement. In the next few months, Community Hospice will go live with several new websites in support of our hospice services, Hope Chest Thrift Stores, grief and bereavement support and Community Hospice Foundation. We recently launched our Camp Erin® Modesto site at www.camperincentralvalley.org. These websites will allow our friends and neighbors to connect with us and find the resources needed.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is a nonprofit, community based hospice agency, serving the Central 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 over 250 patients every day in private homes, skilled nursing facilities and at the 16-room Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides bereavement and grief support to anyone in the community. For more information please call (209) 578-6300 or visit www.hospiceheart.org.