Press

Community Hospice Named one of the Best Places to Work: Central Valley for Third Year in a Row

March 21, 2019

For Immediate Release

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

Community Hospice Named one of the Best Places to Work: Central Valley for Third Year in a Row

MODESTO, CA (March 21, 2019) – Community Hospice, the oldest and largest nonprofit hospice provider in the Central Valley, was recognized on March 19, 2019 at the Riverbank Industrial Center and named alongside five other organizations as one of the Best Places to Work in the Central Valley.

Best Places to Work: Central Valley is in its third year of program participation and expects even more growth for the 2020 program, which will begin in October. “The organizat​ions selected for this designation are leaders in their field without exception,” said David White, Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity Stanislaus. “Their cultures and emphasis on employee satisfaction are evident in their employee response and evidence shows prospective employees will look favorably on these rankings as they search for their next position.”

“Community Hospice is honored to have been named as one of the Best Places to Work in the Central Valley for the third year in a row,” said C. DeSha McLeod, President/CEO of Community Hospice. “Our employees drive our mission and are true assets to our organization and the community at large. It is vital that we encourage a safe and healthy work environment where our employees can flourish and thrive. It is our amazing staff that allows Community Hospice to provide compassionate and quality care to our friends and neighbors in their time of need. It is our dedication to our patients, families and to one another that make Community Hospice one of the Best Places to Work.”

All companies that participated in the 2018 Best Places to Work: Central Valley program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees. In turn, this report can be used in developing or enhancing employee retention and recruitment programs.

Best Places to Work: Central Valley is brought to you by Opportunity Stanislaus, Prime Shine Car Wash, and the Modesto Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Best Places to Work: Central Valley visit bestplacestoworkcentralvalley.com.

About Community Hospice

Celebrating 40 years, Community Hospice is the largest and oldest nonprofit hospice agency in the Central Valley. Serving the community since 1979, Community Hospice has cared for thousands of friends and neighbors offering compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and families, regardless of ability to pay. Care extends to over 2,000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides grief support services to anyone in the community at no cost. For more information, please call 209.578-6300 or visit hospiceheart.org. ​

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Community Hospice Celebrates 40 Year Anniversary with Supporter Driven Fundraising Campaign

January 22, 2019

For Immediate Release

Contacts:

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

Community Hospice Celebrates 40 Year Anniversary with Supporter Driven Fundraising Campaign

(January 22, 2019) Modesto, CA – In celebration of Community Hospice’s 40 Year Anniversary, the Community Hospice Foundation is excited to kickoff a 40/40 Campaign! During 2019, the 40/40 Campaign will empower Community Hospice supporters to create their own fundraiser events to raise funds to support the mission of Community Hospice.

“Community members often ask how they can support Community Hospice,” mentioned Melissa Van Diepen, Executive Director of the Community Hospice Foundation. “This campaign will allow participants to raise funds in a way that is meaningful to them and support the members of their community.”

Community Hospice Foundation is recruiting 40 teams to participate in the campaign. A team may consist of co-workers, friends, families, organizations or companies; anyone who is willing to raise funds and help support the patients, families and programs of Community Hospice.

Team members will be provided a fundraising website as well as essential tools, including email templates and event ideas, to help participants reach a team goal of $1,600.

“The 40/40 Campaign has the potential raise $64,000 and impact our community in many positive ways,” added Van Diepen. “The funds raised through this project ensure that Community Hospice is always ready to answer the call when a family needs us, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

To register or for more information about Community Hospice Foundation’s 40/40 Campaign, visit give.hospiceheart.org.

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 patients and their families, regardless of the ability to pay. Hospice and Palliative Care extends to thousands of 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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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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Modesto Threshold Singers Provide Comfort and Ease for Dying Patients

October 18, 2018

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

Modesto Threshold Singers Provide Comfort and Ease for Dying Patients

MODESTO, CA (October 18, 2018) – Beautiful songs filled the family gathering areas at the Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House on October 11, 2018 as the newly formed Modesto Threshold Singers made their inaugural performance. Their short, heartfelt songs lifted spirits and drew warm smiles from those that were present.

The Modesto Threshold Singers is one of more than 200 world-wide Threshold Choirs dedicated to creating moments of ease and comfort for patients, families and caregivers facing an illness. The local Modesto Threshold chapter was formed by a group of friends who had experienced a series of loss. It was their journey that inspired them to want to bring comfort and ease to others as they navigate their end of life journey. Songs include words of love, gratitude and peace.

“It was a great honor for our Alexander Cohen Hospice House to be chosen as the venue for the Modesto Threshold Singers first appearance. Their presence and sweet, soft voices were endearing and comforting to our patients and families,” said Kristin Mostowski, Director of Public Relations. “Their talent and grace provides another level of compassion, we feel beyond blessed they will be sharing their gift of song with us on a regular basis.”

The Modesto Threshold Singers welcome new members to their chapter. To learn more, visit //thresholdchoir.org/Modesto or email ModestoThresholdSingers@gmail.com. For more information about the Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House visit hospiceheart.org or call 209.578.6340.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is the largest and oldest nonprofit hospice agency in the Central Valley. Serving the community since 1979, Community Hospice has cared for thousands of friends and neighbors offering compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and families, regardless of ability to pay. Care extends to over 2000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the 16-bed inpatient Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides grief support services to anyone in the community. For more information, please call 209. 578.6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.

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