With the hard work of hospice employees and volunteers, along with various organizations and individuals who provide financial support to hospice services in our north state community, Mercy Hospice was able to serve 746 patients in 2015, St. Elizabeth Hospice served 213. (Mercy Hospice Mt Shasta served 87 patients.)
Financial support comes in many forms; families often make donations in memory of their loved ones, along with several major events throughout the year that bolster hospice services funding in Siskiyou, Shasta and Tehama counties. At Christmas time, the annual Light Up a Life events in all three counties help families honor their relatives who have passed while raising funds to continue offering services to others. In 2015, the events contributed $35,000 in memorial funds. The third annual Festival of Trees, held at Turtle Bay Museum, raised more than $90,000 for hospice. With this event, businesses and individuals from the three counties help usher in the holidays while helping hospice services at the same time. Lastly, the 3rd annual Dinner with Heart, a sold-out summer event that features dinner, wine tasting, and a large art auction, supports hospice services through Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta. It generously donated over $17,000 to hospice funding.
Hospice staff and volunteers play a very important role. They offer care and comfort through the last steps of life’s journey. When families are faced with a life-limiting illness, hospice allows compassionate care and comfort to be provided to patients while they remain in their own residence. As one family member recalls; “I don’t know what we would have done without the amazing staff at Red Bluff Hospice. They made the whole experience less stressful and the last days with my mother more comfortable.”
Without the help of the 40-50 hospice bereavement volunteers at Mercy Medical Center and the 16-17 bereavement volunteers with St. Elizabeth, the compassionate services offered would not be possible. Within Tehama County, hospice staff and volunteers have seen major accomplishments. Recently, Mercy and St. Elizabeth Hospice completed a CMS survey, which is completed every three years for revalidation, and received an outstanding score; zero findings and zero recommendations. With secure funding and outstanding staff performance and morale, staffing has increased and allowed services to be offered in Orland and again in Rancho Tehama.
Charlotte Haisch, director of Mercy and St. Elizabeth Home Health and Hospice programs in Shasta and Tehama counties, thanks everyone for their commitment to these events and to hospice. “Everyone’s generosity allows us to bring comfort to families in their time of need, regardless of their ability to pay.”
For information on how you can help or donate, contact:
Kristin Hoskins
Home Health and Hospice
530) 528-4207
Kristin.Hoskins@DignityHealth.org
