Heartbeat December 2019

D EC E M B E R | 2019 NEWSLET TER

Heartbeat

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Heartbeat From the CEO...

December is always a time to reflect on the year in review.

2019 was our “Year of Strengthening,” and we had a lot of opportunities to strengthen our teams and the Hosparus Health mission. As I reflect back on 2019, I’d like to share what we’ve been able to accomplish together.

I understand that our recent announcement of a realignment may seem to diminish the accomplishments of this year. While working through a realignment is difficult, we believe in this new structure and believe we are stronger than ever and more prepared to take on the challenges of the ever changing healthcare industry.

Thank you for your support as we continue to prepare for future sustainability.

This year, we celebrated some key honors, such as being named as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare and being recognized as one of the Top 20 Hospice organizations in the nation by LexisNexis.

We were also able to celebrate some strategic initiatives that were realized, including the unveiling of our new brand, the opening of our Jasper Office, and the launches of our Heart Connect Program and Advanced Illness Care demonstration in partnership with Norton and Humana.

Our Year of Strengthening meant quite a bit of technology and platform upgrades, including Ceridian Dayforce and Better Impact. And of course, we all worked tirelessly to implement HomeCare HomeBase, representing a new level of care that we are able to provide to our patients and their families. As an organization, we worked together to accomplish a conversion of every patient record in a new system all the while still providing quality, compassionate care.

It is astounding what we have done over the course of this year. With our Year of Strengthening almost in the books, we begin to focus on 2020 and the wins it will bring. I look forward to celebrating alongside you as we accomplish amazing things together.

Gratefully,

Phil Marshall

Holistic Care Kit Pilot

Read about the Grief Counseling Center’s latest initiative

PAG E 4

Calendar

View upcoming events and the occupational health calendar

PAG E 5

GAIN Program’s First Participants

The first to enroll in the new ladder program are sharing their goals and experiences.

PAG E 11

Blog

Volunteer Spotlight: Retired Army Veteran Continues to Serve By: Sky Kevyn Yeasayer

PAG E 16

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D EC E M B E R | 2019

Forward Momentum CO R P O R AT E

In the Cloud: The Hub has migrated!

This migration is more than the moving of data that was stored. Just wait until you see it! The new

landing page for the Hub is more user friendly and easier to manage; you can quickly view upcoming

events, news, and announcements. With the migration from the old Hub to the cloud-based Hub, here is a quick guide to finding your sites from the landing page:

• • •

On the tablet, select the SharePoint app and go to the Hosparus Hub Homepage.

On a computer, go to http://hosparus.sharepoint.com On mobile devices, you can install the mobile app. On iPhones find the company portal app, and download and install SharePoint. Android devices have the Sharepoint app already installed.

The user credentials are your Office 365 login Info – Example: YourHosparusEmailAddress@hosparus.org N AV I G AT E T H E H U B From the menu on the left, the three links to find everything are: “Search,” Branch Sites,” and Project Sites.”

“Branch Sites” contains links for Branches that had specific needs on the old Hub. “Project Sites” contains links to all the tabs that were across the top of the landing page of the old Hub. “Search” has links to all the sites that were on the left side of the previous version of the Hub. The Search functionality in this version of SharePoint is amazing and we encourage everyone to try it.

O N T H E TA B L E T Select the three vertical lines next to Home to access the new menu on the left side.

View the full guide to the Hub here.

For any questions, issues, or suggestions, dial 719-4121 or send an email to IT Help, ITHelp@hosparus.org.

H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 3

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Spreading the word.

CO R P O R AT E

Grief Counseling Holistic Care Kit Pilot

The Grief Counseling Center is piloting a Holistic Care Kit for our patient

families. The word “holistic” means care of the whole person, not just focusing on the symptoms of a disease or illness. Caring for a loved one at the end

of life requires also caring for oneself. This kit is part of our goal to offer an

integrated approach to healthcare, because we know that the mind, body and spirit are connected. In the kit, families will find meditation app suggestions,

aromatherapy education and essential oils, a stress ball, coloring book, and a

Celebrate Life booklet. Thank you to all our volunteers and staff helped make this project a reality!

Caring for a loved one as you sha the end of re life journey requires care for oneself while caring for one who dying – it req is uires care of the who le person.

The word “ho listic” mea ns care of focusing on the whole the sympto person, not ms of a dise Hosparus Hea just ase or illne lth, we beli ss. Here at eve in an inte healthcare, grated app because we roach to know that are connec the mind, bod ted. We are y and spirit providing Kit so that you with this you can edu Holistic Car cate yoursel you and you e f on different r loved one ways to help s during this challenging Please exp time. lore some of the follo wing options : Mindfulnes s meditation can decreas and promot e stress and e emotion anxiety al health. We’ of meditati ve include on apps for d a list your phone them at you so you can r own pace. explore

Aromathera py and esse ntial oils can anxiety and help decreas stress, pro e mote a sen help with spe se of well bein cific sympto g, or ms like nau your team sea. Ask one members for more info of of 3 popular rmation or essential oils for samples to try at hom e!

Get Moving!

Forcura Reminder

F O R C U R A R E P L AC E S T I G E R T E X T M E S S AG E I M AG E S F O R M E D I C A L R ECO R DS

If you are interested in joining your team members

climbing stairs to benefit American Lung Association, then keep reading!

As we continue to streamline our processes and communication

A few employees from the Ephraim office are

documents should be uploaded through Forcura. Do not send

Fight for Air Climb. If you would like to join you can

methods, we wanted to remind staff that all patient related

pictures of patient documents to Medical Records through Tiger

Text. Upload them directly to the patient record through Forcura.

See this aid for detailed steps on how to upload documents

or visit the hub for recorded training sessions and additional information.

participating in the American Lung Association

register using the link below or contact Karen Lozado,

klozado@hosparus.org. For those who participate in Go365, completing this event will result in points earned!

Fight for Air Climb Louisville Happy Holiday offer for

Hosparus employees, family and friends! Use code

“FESTIVE” to save $10 on

registration! Sign up for only

$15 beginning Tuesday, Dec. 10th ending Dec. 20th at midnight.

PAG E 4 | H OS PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R

Register HERE.

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Connecting you to events.

C A L E N DA R D EC E M B E R 25

JA N UA R Y 15

Christmas

Volunteer Training- Louisville

JA N UA R Y 1

syeasayer@hosparus.org.

New Year’s Day

JA N UA R Y 25

JA N UA R Y 2

Volunteer Training- Southern Indiana

Grief and the New Year Session

vgresham@hosparus.org.

Contact Sky Yeasayer for more information,

Contact Vonya Gresham for more information,

6:00-7:30 PM, Louisville Library-St. Matthews

The session will address aspects of the holiday season and offers practical suggestions for

See more events & programs on our website.

Show your interest and share our events with your friends & family!

supporting one’s self and family during this time of year. Facilitating the session will be Joe Ferry, Hosparus Health Grief Counseling Program Coordinator, Register here.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DECEMBER 2019 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

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Open

Open

1:00- 4:30p

8:30-12:00p

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9

Open 1:00- 4:30p 15

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Open 1:00- 4:30p 22

4

Open

12

8:30-12:00p

11

8:30-12:00p 1:00- 4:30p

8:30-12:00p 1:00- 4:30p

TB Reads Only

Open

8:30-12:00p 1-4:30p

8:30-12:00p

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17

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Open

Open

8:30-11:30p 1:30- 4:30p

8:30-12:00p 1:00- 4:30p

8:30-12:00p 1-4:30p 26

25

Thursdays: TB reads only

TB Reads Only

Open

Closed

Open Hours: Walk – in clinic for vaccinations and TB testing

7

Open

10

24

Open

Saturday

6

Open

Closed

1:00- 4:30p

Friday

5

8:30-12:00p 1-4:30p

23

30

Thursday

8:30-11:00a 2:00- 4:30p

Open 1:00- 4:30p 29

This Photo by Wednesday

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

TB Reads Only

TB Reads Only 8:30-11:30a 1-4:30p

13

20

14

21

Open 8:30-12:00p 27

28

Open 8:30-12:00p

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Open 8:30-12:00p 1:00- 4:30p Occupational Health Office 3532 Ephraim McDowell Drive Louisville, KY 40205 (Human Resources Department)

Contact us for an appointment outside of posted hours: Phone: (502) 719-8943 TigerText: Occupational Health Email: OccupationalHealth@hosparus.org

H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 5

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Funding the mission.

D E V E LO P M E N T

Employee Giving Campaign has Begun!

Through our employee giving campaign and payroll deduction, you have the option to

designate your dollars to different non-profit organizations as well as to Hosparus Health.

The non-profit organizations are the same as years past: Hosparus Health, Shepherd’s Hospice Sierra Leone, or for some select communities, Hildegard House, United Metro United Way and Fund for the Arts.

•

If you are already participating in the employee giving campaign via payroll deduction,

•

If you would like to start giving via payroll deduction, make changes to your current

you are AUTOMATICALLY enrolled for the 2020 calendar year! No change is needed.

donations or add another organization, please fill out the online form here. Our goal is to have over 50% of our employees giving back to Hosparus Health through payroll deduction.

If you are unsure of your current giving status you can view your contributions from past earning statements in Dayforce.

The deadline is December

23 for any new or changes in your current donation. Thank you for your consideration.

F O R Q U E S T I O N S:

Regarding your giving options: Kelsi Dempster, ext. 4211 Deduction and payroll: Maggie Smith, ext. 5358 Navigating Ceridian: Travis Kittle, ext. 4170

The Good Stuff.

S U B M I T T E D BY PAT I E N T S & FA M I L I E S , T H I S I S T H E ‘ W H Y ’ B E H I N D W H AT W E D O.

“They helped my father when he was at the end of Alzheimer’s. Comfort, peace, love and support.

Eternally grateful. Now you are caring for my mother-in-law and I will always stress the importance of

having Hosparus. They aren’t just for the patient, they’re there for you too. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

- From Facebook reviews From Google Reviews:

“A l l so ve r y n ic e... so k i n d , h e l pf u l , f r ie n d l y. T h e w h o l e h o s pit a l s t a f f i s so b ea u t i f u l . O f t e n i n a fa m i l y ’s l o s s, we u nw i l l i n g l y fo rg e t a b o u t p e o pl e i n t h e b ac k g r o u n d , t o d ay we l o o k a t yo u a n d say t h a n k yo u .”

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D EC E M B E R | 2019

Funding the mission.

D E V E LO P M E N T

Candle Glow Gala 2019

It was another amazing celebration of compassionate care, raising

$345,000 for patients and families! This year’s gala also honored a few very special individuals who have gone above and beyond to support our mission, and who live their lives with an “attitude of gratitude.”

Our incredibly deserving award winners were: Jack Medford and

the Medford Family Foundation, who received the Sherrill Thirlwell Award for their many years of support for our Kourageous Kids program; Bill & Juanita Beach, who received the Sister Marilyn

Spink Service Award for their devoted support of Hosparus Health for nearly 30 years; and Senior Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Physician Dr. Thomas McKain, who was presented with the Dr.

Nearly 650 guests enjoyed cocktails, a delicious dual-entrée dinner, bidding on exciting silent auction items, and learning about the impact of the community’s support.

Joe Rotella Compassion Award for his dedication to providing exemplary care to patients and families dealing with serious illness.

This year, two individuals were recognized for their outstanding

commitment to furthering the mission of Hosparus Health. Helen

Donaldson played an instrumental role in our growth as Hosparus Health’s CEO in the 1990s, and Mission and Stewardship Officer

Bob Mueller has led many successful fundraising campaigns

over the years. They each received an Ovation Award and the

inaugural Mueller Gratitude Award. We would not be the thriving organization we are today without their contributions!

View Photos Here

Award winners for the evening: (Top Left) CEO, Phil Marshall, and Jack Medford, Medford Family Foundation.

(Top Right) Phil Marshall, and Mr. & Mrs. Beach.

(Bottom Left) Phil Marshall, Dr. Tom McKain, and Dr. Joe Rotella.

(Bottom Right) Phil Marshall, Helen Donaldson, and Bob Mueller.

Casey Stallsmith, Project Manager (right), and family at the event.

The HSI Jasper team poses for a selfie booth picture in the Glow Lounge.

H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 7

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Here to help.

E M P LOY E E S Human Resources, Education and Occupational Health News

TOPS Conversion

Your TOPS balance will automatically carry over from 2019 to 2020. For those whose balance exceeds 200 hours, we will pay out the excess balance following the pay date of January 10, 2020:

•

Eligible employees with less than 10 years of service will be paid a conversion of up to

•

Eligible employees with 10 years or more of service on December 31, 2019 will be paid a

80 TOPS hours accrued over the maximum rollover of 200 hours.

conversion of up to 120 TOPS hours accrued over the maximum rollover of 200 hours.

Any accrued hours up to the 80 or 120 hours over the maximum rollover accrual of 200 hours will automatically be converted to taxable pay at the rate of 50%. For example:

• •

If you have 280 or more accrued, unused TOPS hours following the January 10, 2020 pay date, 80 of these hours will be

converted to cash at 50%, you will receive taxable pay for 40 hours. If you have 240 accrued, unused TOPS hours following the January 10, 2020 pay date, 40 hours will be converted to cash at 50%; you will receive taxable pay for 20 hours.

If you had 10 years or more service on December 31, 2019 and you have 320 or more accrued, unused TOPS hours

following the January 10, 2020 pay date, 120 of these hours will be converted to cash at 50%, you will receive taxable pay for 60 hours.

This payment will occur on Friday, January 24, 2020. Unused, accrued TOPS hours over 280/320 hours will be deleted

as the maximum rollover to the next year remains at 200 hours. If you have any questions, please contact Maggie Smith,

Maggiesmith@hosparus.org.

Our Employees are Powerful

In 2018, Hosparus Health began to utilize a preceptor program model for orientation and training of new clinical staff,

including nurses, social workers, chaplains and bereavement counselors. Many enthusiastic people have applied and been tasked with the challenging role of on-boarding new staff members to our organization. Part of the responsibilities include

attending live training, completing online training, and follow up surveys and/or meetings. We would like to recognize these staff members who help us grow our staff to become successful Hosparus Health employees. Thank you!

A DA M S TA N D I F O R D

ERIN BALL ARD

K AREN DOWNE Y

MARY FUNARI

AMBER SCHILLER

E R I N L AU E R S D O R F

K AT I E H O LTO N

M A R Y R EC T E N WA L D

ANDRE A ROSS

H E AT H E R H O O P E R

K AT I E WAT T S

M I C H E L L E M CCOY

ASHLEY HALL

H E AT H E R M U N D E L L

K AY L A C A I N

N I CO L E A K E R L E Y

ASHLEY JURY

JA N E JAY E S

K AY L A S C R U G G S

R EG I N A TAY LO R

BARRY CHRISTENSEN

JA N I C E G E L L E Y

KEITLIN SCHNEIDER

R O S E A N N H A R WO O D

B E T H C AU S E Y

JEFF ME YER

K E L LY S M I T H

SE AN PET T Y

B R E N DA S N Y D E R

JENNIFER BR ADBURY

K R I S S Y S M OT H E R S

STEPHANIE ROLFE

C A R L A CO R B I N

J E N N I F E R CO N WAY

KRISTIN MEADOR

TERESA RINKER

CO R I P E T T Y

J E N N I F E R CO R A S D I A L E

KRIST Y HARMON

TO N I C H AU D O I N

D E B BY E B U R K E

JENNIFER MEEKER

L I Z WAT S O N

T YRA KIM

ELIZ ABETH LINQUIST

J E S S I C A WA R D

MARY A . PIERCE

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D EC E M B E R | 2019

Here to help.

E M P LOY E E S Human Resources, Education and Occupational Health News

Felecia Spalding, CNA

F

elecia Spalding has worked as a CNA in the Hosparus Health Green River community for 15 years. Felecia sees it as her

responsibility to “make sure patients and families are cared for and they feel comfortable. I get to perform personal care

and help ease the burden for families.” According to her supervisor Larissa Marr, “Felecia is a joy to be around and she has the most compassionate heart. She provides comfort to every family that she encounters and builds a long-lasting connection with them. She is willing to accept any challenge and jumps in to help without having to be asked. She is a wonderful lady that I am blessed to work with every day!”

Felecia joined Campbellsville staff after working in a nursing home, and after a very personal experience with Hosparus. When asked why she came to work for the Hosparus team, she replied, “Because it is a good organization and in 2003, Hosparus took care of my mother and because of the care she received, I knew it was a place I wanted to work.”

Outside of Hosparus Health, Felecia is busy taking care of her family. “I enjoy shopping, going out to eat, spending time with my two children and my eight grandbabies”, she says.

“Felecia is simply wonderful. The patients love her and have nothing but high praises for her. She treats patients amazing and assesses issues and reports them immediately to the nurse so that the patients receive the best care possible. Felecia is a blessing to patients, and I am thankful to work with her.”

-Coworker

Favorite ice cream flavor (or dessert if you don’t like ice cream!)?

Butter Pecan Favorite musician?

Keith Sweat Favorite restaurant?

Olive Garden If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

Learn to swim Favorite show you are currently watching on Netflix/Amazon/Cable? Madea’s Family Reunion

In case you missed it:

Read last month’s employee spotlight on Chaplain William Sofield here.

H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 9

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Welcome!

N E W E M P LOY E E S

Ashlee Payton, Team Nurse- HLSE

Daniel McCarty, Customer Support Nurse- Corp Danita Steimle, Registered Nurse- HICC Jaclyn Becht, Team Nurse - HLSE

Jasmin Hamilton, Registered Nurse- HICC

Jennifer Hooper, Registered Nurse, PRN- HICC Joni Arnold, CNA- HBR

Kimberly Hinz, Chaplain - Level II- HGR

Margaret Cox, Child and Adolescent Counselor- Corp Marybeth Hunt, Certified Social Worker- HBR

Patricia Watson, Referral Admissions Coordinator- HGR

Rachel Miller, Medical Team Scheduling Coordinator- Corp Salena Matthews, CNA- HLSW Sherry Allen, Visit Nurse- HCL

Stephanie Brown, Referral Admissions Coordinator- HLSW Tammy Mills, Team Nurse- HSI Toyquan Sykes, CNA- HCL Tracey Tyler, CNA- HLSW

OTT The Over The Top program is designed to show appreciation to a fellow co-worker

who has provided excellent customer service and/or support to their peers. Staff can fill out an Over The Top card on any staff member that helped them in some way. Ask your manager where the cards are at your location, or complete online. Completed

cards should be put in the designated box. A copy of the card is then sent to the nominated individual and to their supervisor.

C E N T R A L LO U I S V I L L E

LO U I S V I L L E S O U T H E A S T

GREEN RIVER

Cate Pyle

Leslie Schanie

Margaret Wright

Ashleigh Fenelus

LO U I S V I L L E - C O R P

Karen Kruer

Ramona Gail Faith Susan Bunch

Holly Barnett

Elizabeth Lindquist Towanda Dailey

LO U I S V I L L E S O U T H W E S T

Tyra Kim

LO U I S V I L L E N O R T H E A S T

Emily Voyles

Jennifer Conway

PAG E 10 | H OS PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R

Felecia Spalding Stacy Matney

Tammy Tedrow HICC

Martha Clark

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Congratulations E M P LOY E E S Human Resources, Education and Occupational Health News

Shining Star

Our Shining Star program was created so staff could receive the recognition they deserve from families. Patients and families give a donation to Hosparus Health in honor of a caregiver to say thank you.

CO R P O R AT E

C E N T R A L LO U I S V I L L E

LO U I S V I L L E S O U T H W E S T

Patrick Bundy

Brenda Stofer

Elizabeth Watson

Mary Demoss

GREEN RIVER

Felecia Spalding H I CC

Andrew Wagoner Janet Warren

Wanda Greenwell

Amanda Scharf

Rafael Macaranas Ronyale Rankin Sean Petty

LO U I S V I L L E S O U T H E A S T Janice Gelley

Regina Taylor

Christina Mullins

LO U I S V I L L E N O R T H E A S T Marcy Spencer

Erin Lauersdorf

SOUTHERN INDIANA

Lela Johnson

Jessica Oliver

Cynthia Mclarney

Kyle Kirchhoff Lisa Coleman

Melissa Renfrow Robyn Mathias

Stephen Standiford

These staff members were accepted into the GAIN ladder program this year.

Here’s what they had to say about their opportunity and experience: J E S S I C A WA R D,

K AREN THOMPSON,

SHARI FR ANK,

H L C U S TO M E R S U P P O R T N U R S E “I chose to apply for the program to keep my education up to date.

Participating will also allow me to stay connected with the other departments at Hosparus since the majority of my work is done from home (AAHPM).”

HLNE TEAM NURSE “I feel as though I am a strong leader for my associates and an extremely competent nurse for my patients.

Continuing to learn more about hospice and palliative care is my passion.”

H L R N CO O R D I N ATO R “As Hosparus Health continues to grow and change, I want to continue to develop as a nurse, so that I can better serve our mission.

The program inspires nurses to share, grow and serve, and a format to track progress and increase motivation.”

KETLIN SCHNEIDER,

ANDRE A ROSS,

A N N E LO N D O N ,

HSI ON CALL NURSE “Being accepted into the program enriches my servant’s heart and challenges me to develop into the nurse that I feel called to be. I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many coaches, leaders, and mentors.“

H C K R AC H L C U S TO M E R S U P P O R T N U R S E “GAIN has given me an opportunity “As a night shift nurse, I don’t tend to stretch and grow professionally to create opportunities to further and personally. It my education gives me a sense or professional of accomplishment opportunities. The and allows me GAIN program is to promote giving me incentive exceptional care to do this!“ for patients and families.“ H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 11

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Here to help.

E M P LOY E E S Human Resources, Education and Occupational Health News

2019 Service Awards

CO N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO T H O S E W H O C E L E B R AT E D M I L E S TO N E S W I T H U S T H I S Y E A R F I V E Y E A R S:

Stephanie Alvey Banks Robin Bagshaw Elizabeth Bell Angel Breed

Roswitha Chandler Angela Claypool Kandice Criss

Charla DeBurger Onyinyechi Eze Rhonda Fraser Janice Gelley Molly Grimm

Robin Hollobaugh Katherine Holton Mecca Jackson Neena James

Jennifer Jennings Scott Kennedy

Robin Klausing

Erin Lauersdorf Debra Lewis

Stephanie Mattingly Sherry Milliner

Jennifer Noonan Helen Pearson

Alex Robertson

Debra Sampson Melissa Scalf

Melanie Schrader

Rebecca Simpson Amy Spalding Ashley Tabler

Devonne Taylor Emily Voyles

Pamela Watkins

Lashanta Webster

T E N Y E A R S: Sandra Bailey Susan Berla Debra Burk

Donna Chappell Barbara Curry Joyce Dryden Diana Foote

Wanda Greenwell

5 Years of Service

Elizabeth Hargesheimer Jennifer Larson

Ann Masterson Payne Stacy Matney

Loretta McGinty Tiffany Mickens

10 Years of Service

Shannon Poynter Rene Toledano

F I F T E E N Y E A R S: Pamela Bell

15 Years of Service

Keith Hedrick

Kristina Lawrence Lisa Sanford

Felecia Spalding Todd Sprouse Julie Walker

20 Years of Service

Beth Whelan T W E N T Y Y E A R S: Pamela Druin

Michelle Sanders Tracy Trumbo Carolyn Blair

T W E N T Y- F I V E Y E A R S: Kimberly Lanham

Kenya Whitfield

Tamara Wisdom PAG E 12 | H OS PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R

25 Years of Service

D EC E M B E R | 2019

Your spiritual connection.

G R I E F CO U N S E L I N G

Resilience Traits

BY: B E T H C AU S E Y, C H A P L A I N Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

To keep our faces toward change and behave like

free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

-- Helen Keller

Helen Keller was referring to resilience. Resilience is a catch word recently in business and books. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital even has a Resilience Director staff

position to support its employees. Resilience is what folks who work in hospice need to have as a trait.

Every day Hosparus staff and volunteers must keep our

8. They lead from within. Lao Tzu said, “Water is fluid, soft,

“faces toward change” amidst death, fear, anxiety, anger,

and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is

don’t know how you do what you do every day.” Change is

and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

depression, and conflict. All of us have heard folks say, “I inherent in hospice work, each and every day.

An article on the Huffington Post website from 2014, by

Faisal Hoque, describes traits that folks who are resilient need to have in order to protect their souls:

1. They control their destiny. They have intentionality, an

ability to drive our spiritual will to do that which seems impossible.

2. They accept their battle. The most resilient of us will find

rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, This is another paradox: What is soft is strong.”

9. They find the right traveling partners. It’s not only whom we surround ourselves with that matters, but also how we interact with them that make the difference.

10. They take the next step forward. Understanding exactly what we want is the foundation for our success. But

executing that success requires taking the next step, every day, no matter how hard it may be.

a way to fight adversity by embracing it.

I would add to this list that we need to also have faith. Belief

her adversity to find her vision, her voice.

us a solid stance from which to take leaps of faith that we can

3. They use adversity as their compass. Helen Keller used

in something larger than ourselves can ground us and give

4. They learn to suffer well. Accepting and growing

be resilient.

5. They practice patience. Included in patience is

At those times when it angers and hurts to do hospice, try to

6. They let go. Letting go is the inner action that stops

Calling things by their right name is important to be resilient.

through our pain is part of our personal growth. compassion and gratitude.

live through it. Name the feelings and name the problems.

resisting fear and pain, allowing us to restore our ability

This is hard work. But work that is worth it.

to see clearly.

7. They live in the moment. Living in the moment doesn’t mean we don’t care about the past or future. It means

that when we make a choice to do something, we focus on solely doing it, rather than letting our mind wander into the future (or the past).

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Keeping you connected.

CO M M U N I T Y Across Southern Indiana, Louisville, Central Kentucky, Green River and Barren River

Hosparus Health Encourages Mayoral Proclamation

Partnering with WHAS and Local Unions for the ‘Union Year of Giving’

Campbellsville Mayor, Brenda Allen, came to celebrate

In November and December Hosparus Health is featured

signing a proclamation declaring the month of November

channel 11, sponsored by IBEW 369, Smart Local 110, and

Hospice Month with HGR. She is shown here with the team “Hospice Month.”

in a variety of commercials and segments on WHAS and

Local 502. The clips promote our services and encourage

the community to learn more, get involved volunteering or

donate to help our patients and their families. We are excited to be part of the sponsorship this year, and hope you have had a chance to catch us on TV! In case you missed it, see some of the segments here on our YouTube channel.

Media Spotlight

T V, R A D I O, & N E W S A P P E A R A N C E S MEDICAL NEWS

W H A S 11

F R A N K L I N FAVO R I T E

NEWS - ENTERPRISE

Hosparus Health of Barren River seeking volunteers

Store packed for Christmas Bazaar

W H A S 11

WAV E 3

Gwen Cooper, Hosparus Health

Hosparus Health provides guidance and care to entire family

Hosparus Health uses art to help families deal with grief

Sylvia Johnson - Hosparus Health Heroes program

NEWS - ENTERPRISE

Ways to Deal with Grief During the Holidays H O S PA R U S H E A LT H N E W S L E T T E R | PAG E 14

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Keeping you connected.

CO M M U N I T Y Across Southern Indiana, Louisville, Central Kentucky, Green River and Barren River

Taylor County Veterans Resource Fair

Barren County Homemakers Club The Barren County, KY Homemakers Club invited Hosparus

Hosparus Health Ambassador, Steve Orr, Outreach Manager, Jen Vanmersbergen, and Volunteer Manager Carrie Truitt, attended the Veteran’s Resource Fair hosted by Taylor

County Public Library. Steve was ready, willing and able to man our booth to ensure that Jen and Carrie could attend the Fall Huddle with Terri, Phil and the team.

Health Barren River’s Volunteer Manager, Jessica Briley, and Manager of Outreach, Kristen Roderick, to attend

their meeting to share information about our services.

Additionally, the club presented Hosparus with a large

quantity of care blankets for patients as well as snacks for the entire interdisciplinary team!

Thank you Steve!

Thrift Shoppes Prepare for the Holidays

The Elizabethtown Thrift Shoppe hosted it’s annual Christmas Bazarre in November where shoppers can browse the MANY

Christmas items, decor, and more in the store. At the Campbellsville shop the “Christmas Room” is setup for shoppers during the holidays so they can get the best holiday deals. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the setup!

D I D YO U K N O W ?

Santa is one of our volunteers?

Russ Allen is the real deal!

Elizabethtown Thrift Shoppe

Campbellsville Thrift Shoppe

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You’re the expert.

B LO G

Volunteer Spotlight: Retired Army Veteran Continues to Serve BY: S K Y K E V Y N Y E A S AY E R

Hosparus Health volunteer Renee Finnegan made a career serving others fearlessly and compassionately. Today, she continues to take care of others, particularly her fellow veterans.

Renee, a retired Colonel, served honorably in the U.S. Army for 28 years. She served as a brigade commander and was deployed to Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm with the Third Army. After she retired, Renee continued to serve as the military liaison for the University of Louisville.

In addition to the veterans’ recognition or nursing home companionship visits, she makes as a volunteer for Hosparus Health, Renee serves veterans at the VA in their No One Dies Alone program, and teaches yoga at VA clinics. She also serves with Little Sisters of the Poor and Coalition for the Homeless Operation Stand Down.

The No One Dies Alone program at the VA is small, which led her to wonder who else in Louisville was caring for dying veterans. Through Hosparus Health’s website, she learned about our volunteer program and our participation as a Level 4 Partner in the national We Honor Veterans program. Renee also had connections with two of our staff members, Chief External Affairs Officer, Gwen Cooper, and Volunteer Manager, Susan Norsworthy, through working with them at VCAL – Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville.

GIVING VE TS THE RECOGNITION THE Y DESERVE Renee’s passion and compassion for serving veterans is clear. She believes any veteran, regardless of how long they served deserves a final thank you. The veteran recognition is also important to the family and caregivers.

Whenever possible, most members of a veteran’s family will attend the recognition ceremony.

Renee says veteran recognition brings so much joy to the family. Often, some of the family members, especially the younger ones who had only heard the smallest details about the veteran’s services, will get to experience the honor of service during the recognition. Renee understands the power of music, and she keeps a playlist of patriotic music on her phone. During the recognition visit, she plays the anthem associated with the veteran’s branch – the music that was part of the veteran’s ceremonies and marches during their service.

P E AC E A N D D I G N I T Y AT T H E E N D O F L I F E Renee gets inspiration for visits by thinking about what she would want for herself at the end of life. She would definitely want to hear music, and plays “spa music” from her phone on nursing home visits. She also hopes to help people go out on “a good note,” and if she knows that patient shares her faith, will say the Rosary. Just in case someone may need it, she always carries around an extra set of Rosary beads made by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

When I first sat down to interview Renee for this story, she told me about a book she’s reading called “A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives.” That title could be used to describe her.

Renee serves because she truly loves to help others. Her career and life of service are remarkable. The presence and compassion she freely gives to others is transformative.

That’s why we were thrilled to surprise her with her very own veteran recognition event last week. Unable to attend our recent veteran volunteers gathering earlier this month, Renee was ecstatic when we presented her with her own quilt.

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