Circles of Care Special Summer 2022 Newsletter

Special Summer 2022 Newsletter Vol.29 No.2 NEWSLETTER STAFF Susan Houseman, President/CEO Ammy Seymour, Director of Development Richard Vanderputte-McPherson, Communications Specialist Susan Newhof, Article Contributor Sheila B. Warners and Flo Glass, Graphics Please help us maintain accurate records for ­mailings.

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Circles of Care

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A NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION/TWICE A YEAR

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MUSKEGON, MI PERMIT NO. 231

1050 W. Western Ave., Suite 400 Muskegon, MI 49441 231.728.3442 – Muskegon 231.873.0359 – Oceana 231.845.5060 – Mason 616.844.3330 – Ottawa HarborHospiceMI.org

Special Summer 2022

Newsletter Vol.29 No.2

Then and Now!

How Times Have Changed, Part I

A Celebration for the ­Harbor Hospice Foundation Beanies, Brunch & Brews

Interviews by Susan Newhof

Barbara McIntosh, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with Harbor Hospice since 2000

Saturday, October 22 The Muskegon Lakeshore will rock, again, in October 2022 when the Harbor Hospice Foundation presents Beanies, Brunch & Brews at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company’s new production facility in Muskegon.

This memorable event will feature great food, outdoor games, and pours of Pigeon Hill’s notable craft beers, wine, and mimosa, all against a backdrop of lively music by Serita’s Black Rose.

VIP, general admission tickets, and sponsorship packages available online!

The work day

Memories recorded on vinyl

Think of Me

Then: When I first started with Harbor

Hospice, we were in a small building on Third Street and there were only about 50 to 60 staff and volunteers. I was one of seven CNAs. We had four patients each and we spent two hours with each patient.

Some were as far away as Ludington and Grand Haven. We worked from 8 AM to 4 PM, and we used paper to chart patient information.

We had babies in our care, too, mostly with issues from birth, and teenagers and young adults with cancer.

Now:

Mitch Anderson President and Co-founder

Here’s how it works: Harbor Hospice patients will be offered the opportunity to talk on a field recorder about anything they choose.

“They can read a bedtime story, wish happy birthday, tell a favorite family joke, recall memories, anything they want,” explains Mitch Anderson, president of Think of Me.™ He can take audio from other sources including voice mail and VHS

questions or if we made a mistake and typed something wrong (heaven forbid!)

Now the payment process goes much faster.

Medicine has progressed enough so there are fewer babies and children who need our care. And while some patients are in our care only a short time, others are with us for several months. One wonderful patient was with us for five years.

and we got to know everyone in the group.

Beth Szot, with Harbor Hospice since 1998, first in medical records, then in both medical records and billing, and as the organization grew, she decided to stay with billing Billing

Then

When we moved to the current building, everything started to grow. Then we opened the Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence and grew even more — more staff doctors, intake nurses, CNAs and volunteers.

tapes, too. Then he will transfer the recording to a CD and onto a vinyl record. The keepsakes will be given to family members and can be played over and over and over.

All our patient care is charted in our tablets, and we clock in and out on our phones. Instead of going to a location for continuing education, it’s all computerized. The most frustrating part of that is keeping track of all our passwords!

I’m old school!

What has not changed is that I love my work. It is a blessing to me.

Patients often waited to contact us until their condition was quite advanced because they didn’t know how we could help, and because of that, their time in our care was often short.

Announcing our new vinyl program/collaboration with Think of Me,™ a West Michigan business that was created by Mitch Anderson, president, and co-founder.

Mitch also produces the Harbor Hospice podcast, I Couldn’t Do Your Job, which launched in 2020 and co-founded his allvinyl record show Black Circle Radio on 100.9 FM in Muskegon.

We thought it would be fun to get a perspective from several staff members and a volunteer who have been with the organization for many years. While much has changed, they all agreed on one thing: Patients’ needs then and now always come first!

Today we have grown and changed in so many ways. Because of our partnership with Trinity Health, more patients are learning about our services earlier, and we are serving families in five counties.

: All billing and records were done on paper. We typed everything on two-ply paper on an electric typewriter. One copy went to the insurance company. The other was filed. All of the medical records came in hand written.

Then: We were all in the office together Now:

With so many people now working remotely, we do a lot of our work by e-mail and I feel a little disconnected from the other staff. We’re getting used to doing things in new ways.

Deductibles and copays

Then: Most people didn’t have a big copay or deductible. We rarely billed individuals for service.

Now:

Many patients have a highdeductible plan, which means they get billed for care if they haven’t yet reached their yearly deductible, or if they have a copay/coinsurance. Fortunately, we receive donations from the community and have other avenues of funding, so if patients or families cannot pay, we find ways to cover their bill. We never turn away anyone who can’t pay.

What hasn’t changed is that I truly admire my co-workers in the field working with patients, and that’s what keeps me here!

Now: Everything is electronic! We

continued on page 2

first switched to processing claims electronically, and now we’re paid electronically, too. Payment is mostly “transferred” into our account. There is no more back-and-forth through the mail, which took extra time if there were Oakview Medic al Care Facility a moment sharing

e late Betty Linacre Susan McGarry, th er, af ch tts Ro n ily ar M ahl and Marti Youngd

Serving our co mmunities

The vinyl record is designed to be held and hugged and listened to. It is also beautifully packaged and perfect for framing. The program is funded by the Harbor Hospice Foundation and provided free to all participants.

Togetherness

“The Think of Me™ team is so excited to be working with Harbor Hospice on this and to be able to provide a lasting physical representation of a loved one to family members at no cost,” says Mitch. “That is powerful!”

Family members interested in receiving more information should contact a member of the care team.

MARCH

1979

MARCH

Created a steering committee to establish Hospice of Muskegon County

JAN

1983

Incorporated Hospice of Muskegon County with just $40 in the bank

Changed name to Hospice of Muskegon-Oceana

1993

1985

1982

1981

Received certification for Medicaid coverage for services

Served our first patient

Conducted a feasibility study

APRIL

1996

1987

Received certification for Medicare coverage for services

2000

Added Oceana ­County to the service area

Leonard Wright, MD, became first full-time medical director

Char Vanderstelt, RN, hospice nurse in West Michigan since 1995

Susan Houseman, President/CEO

Then: Nurses traveled to patients’ homes

The Harbor Hospice Foundation has been an exciting milestone in this organization’s history. Created in 2014, the Foundation’s goal is simple: With a laser focus on building philanthropic community-based relationships, we raise money and gather the resources needed to support the mission and programs of Harbor Hospice and Harbor Palliative Care.

and took notes on paper, which they kept with them until they returned to the office. That meant a nurse had no access to what another nurse observed earlier about a patient, such as changes in their condition or medications, until the paperwork was returned and recorded.

Now: While I am with a patient, I log information into my

computer and it is instantly available to the rest of the medical team. If the night nurse changes something, the day nurse knows immediately, making possible vital continuity of patient care.

I know you’ll enjoy reading the insightful, inspiring, and sometimes amusing observations of members of our team who paused to look at how their work has changed — or hasn’t — through the decades. From generating records and answering phones to providing face-to-face care for patients, their combined service totals more than 150 years, an average of more than 20 years each! According to Career Builder, the average length of time ­employees spend in a job before moving on is between two and eight years. Why are we fortunate to attract so many ­talented team members, and why do they stay with us? Enjoy Part 1, with more team members’ stories in Part 2 coming later this Fall.

Susan Houseman President and CEO

For example, our Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence had become lovingly worn after fifteen years as a gracious and peaceful home for hospice patients. So the Foundation raised funds for a complete refresh, which included the addition of state-of-the-art beds large enough so our patients can snuggle with their spouse or cuddly grandchild.

Call backs

Then: We carried pagers. If we were on the road when it buzzed, we had to go in search of a payphone (remember those?) to call back, which could take several minutes.

Many volunteers and staff will tell you that watching someone they love benefit from our care is what drew them to this work. For each of us, our role is personal. It is challenging, and it is rewarding. Each life we touch is precious to us. We are inspired every day by our co-workers, our patients and those who lovingly surround them. And that is why we stay.

Many gifts were given by families who had experienced the warmth of the Poppen and appreciated the skilled and compassionate care their family member received there. As a result, the refresh was completed seamlessly, and everything our patients tell us they love about the Poppen continued without interruption.

Now:

Mobile phones offer instant communication to and from just about anywhere, 24 hours a day.

Getting there

Then: I remember getting vague directions to patient’s homes such as, “Go 2½ miles and take a left at the red barn…” It was hard enough to find places during the day, but navigating at night could be extremely difficult. Directions often included, “We’ll leave the porch light on.”

Reaching out

As recipient of memorial and legacy gifts, the Foundation supports new programs for patients such as art and music therapy that provide enrichment and a way of expressing feelings when words alone don’t work. This unique care is not covered by insurance or Medicare, but we know it contributes to the wellbeing of our patients, so we offer it anyway, and the Foundation makes that possible.

Now:

GPS tells us exactly where we are, how to get where we are going, and when we will arrive. If I have questions, I can call on my cell phone to get clarification.

We often hear patients and families say they wish they had known about hospice and palliative care sooner. To be sure we are reaching residents in every corner of our five-county region, we are working to share our information clearly and more broadly, to increase cultural understanding, and to be wherever you need us 24 hours a day.

When you give to the Foundation, YOU make so much possible!

Thank you for walking beside us.

–Velma Phillips

We are deeply grateful for Roger’s inspired leadership. He chairs the boards of both Harbor Hospice and the Harbor Hospice Foundation.

Hospice Team CPR training

rmer board Kristi Nagengast, fo r Wallace, member and Ambe or volunteer coordinat

ppen Family and patient on Po ils Tra ce en sid Re House

Opened the Leila & Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence

Gerald Harriman, DO, became new medical director and the ­organization was renamed Harbor Hospice, serving patients and families in Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, Newaygo, and Mason Counties

MILESTONES

2005 2005

Piloted the Harbor Hospice Outpatient Palliative Care Program

2006

Formed partnership with Mercy General Health Partners to create an Inpatient P ­ alliative Care Program

2010

25 years providing hospice and palliative care and honoring the more than 7,000 patients and families we have served

d ra, Dr. Harriman an The late Dr. Sara Do ctor, Mary Anne Gorman re ­former Executive Di

30 years providing hospice and palliative care and honoring the more than 10,000 patients and families we have served

2011

2008

Mary Anne Gorman retired after 28 years as executive director

Established the Harbor Hospice Foundation

MILESTONES

2013 2012

Participated in Legends Flight I to honor local World War II veterans

Created Corporate Partners Program to engage local businesses and organizations in annual giving and meaningful promotion

2017

2015

2014

MILESTONES

Formed “We Honor Veterans Committee”

Former employees M and Calvin Davis at arilyn Rottschafer Veterans Day Even t

d NA, at Wine an Mattie Fields, CE Arts fundraiser

Camp Coura ge activity

2016

10-year anniversary of the Leila & Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence and honoring the more than 2,000 patients we have served

Then: Whenever we needed to

do training, we had to gather as a group and go somewhere for a meeting, and we had to cram in all the information during a specific period of time.

Now:

With the advancements in technology, we can participate in training online, in our homes. We’re in a more comfortable atmosphere, and we’re on our own schedule. We can choose the window of time that works for us. I think we can retain more of what we are being taught when we are more comfortable in our learning.

Growth of our volunteer program

Then:

When I first started, I visited with patients at the Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence and at their homes primarily in the Muskegon area. We covered a small geographic area and there were not a lot of volunteers. larger geographic area than ever before. We have also expanded culturally. Volunteers are now able to handle so many more areas of need including respite care and helping at social events.

Thank you to each of you who trusted us with the care of your loved one. And thank you to our volunteers, staff and supporters past and future. It truly takes a village. You are the heart and soul of this organization, and we need each of you so we can continue to make a difference in our community and in the lives of thousands of families for the next 40 years.

For more information, go to HarborHospiceMI.org

former Harbor Hospice Board Director, 2005-2011, 2012-2018

Training

Now: We have blossomed with many more volunteers and a

Our baby boomer population is approaching the time of life when health concerns are becoming more pressing, and the number of people needing hospice and palliative care is increasing. Volunteer opportunities are also increasing. In this newsletter, you’ll learn how we have redesigned our volunteer orientation and training and put it all on line to increase flexibility and ease of learning for those who want to join our team.

The Foundation also raises funds for our life-changing grief support programs, which are offered free through our Bob and Merle Scolnik Healing Center. And because of the Foundation, we can provide hospice and palliative care to anyone in our region regardless of their ability to pay.

“Congratulations! Recognition at this level is a testament of the never-ending efforts of staff and volunteers to provide families with the best care and support to families at the end-of-life care, is truly deserved. Our community is blessed with your presence.”

Bob Harter, Volunteer in many areas of care since 2009

In this Special Edition of Circles of Care, we continue to celebrate 40 years of living our mission to provide expert care with compassion and support for people facing a serious illness or nearing the end of their life.

By Roger Morgenstern, chairperson Harbor Hospice/Harbor Hospice Foundation

Charting patient notes

Hospice volunteering over the years

The Reasons Why

Your gifts to the Harbor Hospice Foundation help expand programs and support care of patients

What has not changed is the kindness of our volunteers. From the very first volunteers I met to those I am honored to be with now, they all have a heart for sharing and caring and ministering to others. They are a special group of people.

Become an essential part of our care program There are several steps prior to basic orientation so please contact us for more information at 231.728.3442 or 1.800.497.9559, email info@HarborHospiceMI.org or visit our website HarborHospiceMI.org.\ d CEO an, President an Susan Housem ay of Caring D at United Way

Camp Cou rage

Expanded Palliative Care team to include a physician, nurse practitioner, case manager and social worker

2019 2017

Finalized strategic joint venture between Harbor Hospice and Mercy Health Hospice/Trinity Health At Home

Received Hospice Honors ­recognition from HealthcareFirst

2020 2019

Local donors created Compassionate Givers to provide annual funding to programs of Harbor Hospice and Harbor Palliative Care

camper

2021 2020

Launched Harbor Tele-Health

Received Hospice Honors Elite recognition from HealthcareFirst