Hospice of North Central Oklahoma

Story contributed by Wendy Stobbe, Chief Executive Officer | Photos by Lauren Renee’ Photography

In 1981 a group of concerned citizens and volunteers gathered to discuss a possible “workshop” for the community in dealing with death and dying. From that group emerged the idea of starting a hospice for Ponca City. Rev. Bruce & Illa Zellmer, ministers at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Ponca City, along with nurse Claudia Barnes, began to host meetings and went to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, for training from the first hospice created in Oklahoma, Jane Phillips Hospice. In April of 1982, a committee was organized, a working board was elected, a training program was initiated and Hospice of Ponca City Incorporated became an organization. Bruce Zellmer, L. Rus Howard and Judi Owens were the incorporators of the corporation that was created called “Hospice of Ponca City Incorporated” with the additional board members of Joyce Johnson, Sharon Lingane and Sally Stimpson. The first and second patients were admitted at the end of 1982 and died in early 1983. Hospice of Ponca City was certified as a state of Oklahoma hospice organization with the Oklahoma State Department of Health in 1982. In 2004, the name was amended to Hospice of North Central Oklahoma, Inc. (HNCO), to better delineate the service area, which is approximately 50 miles from Ponca City. Through the years the hospice office has been located in various places around Ponca City starting in the Plaza building on North 14th Street, the Royalty Building, Chamber of Commerce building and Chuona Plaza. In 2012, the Assembly of God building was purchased and through the very generous support of our community and donors, we raised money to renovate not only the space for hospice use but also to include the Carolyn Renfro Event Center.

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care month, and this year’s theme is “Meeting you where you are.” For the past 40 years, HNCO has helped provide interdisciplinary, supportive care to thousands of people, allowing them to spend their final months wherever they call home and surrounded by their loved ones. Our hospice team works alongside patients to create plans of care that will focus on pain management, comfort care, therapies and treatments that all center on the patient and his/her loved one’s goals and wishes. Care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of professionals that includes nurses, social workers, physicians, allied therapists, home health aides, chaplains, bereavement counselors and trained volunteers. HNCO is also extremely fortunate to have our own in-house Durable

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There are many misconceptions about hospice, and patients and families often wait until the very end to call hospice for help. We encourage anyone to call hospice directly and ask for a consultative preadmission visit if they want to see when, and if, hospice is appropriate for themselves or a loved one. Although we have to get a doctor to confirm terminal diagnosis appropriate for hospice, anyone can call and ask for referral for hospice care or just in general call to ask questions.

Myth: Hospice means patients cannot live longer than six months or I have to be in the final stages of dying.

Fact: Patients may receive care for an unlimited amount of time, depending on the course of the illness. There is no fixed limit on the amount of time you can receive care as long as physical decline is evident.

Myth: Hospice means giving up on living, and I cannot see my doctor anymore.

Fact: Hospice’s goal is to assist patients in living their lives fully, managing pain and anxiety with emotional support. If patients improve or want to withdraw from hospice care at any time to change a treatment plan to seek curative treatment, they can do so. Also patients can continue to have their primary care doctor follow them throughout their hospice care.

Myth: Hospice is very expensive. I do not have a hospice benefit or insurance.

Fact: Medicare beneficiaries have a hospice benefit that will reimburse the hospice for your care. HNCO will take care of anyone regardless of whether they have a payer source or not.

Myth: I have to be homebound or in a facility for hospice care.

Fact: Patients do not have to be homebound, and in fact, we encourage patients to be as active as they feel comfortable doing so. Hospice can be provided wherever the patient resides, whether that be at a residence or in a nursing or skilled facility. HOSPICE Continued from Page 13

Medical Equipment warehouse. We are able to quickly provide changes in medical equipment as a patient progresses and has a higher level of need for medical equipment. Hospice care also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief support through counseling and support groups. In 2021, HNCO took care of 219 patients throughout six different counties in Northern Oklahoma. Our staff of 36 and over 40 volunteers are committed to valuing our professionalism in providing quality, compassionate and holistic care without discrimination, while always respecting an individual’s right to self-determination. Our hospice staff will tell you that they feel it is such a privilege to care for someone at end of life.

HNCO has taken care of hundreds of veterans, and last year was promoted to a Level 3 participant in the We Honor Veterans Program, which is a collaborative program with the Department of Veteran Affairs and the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization. This program was designed to empower hospice organizations to meet the unique needs of American veterans and their families. We are committed to the programmatic recommendations for respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment. On admission, our veteran patient is visited by our social services staff who reads a “Welcome home and thank you for your service” card that is left with the patient to be displayed where others can recognize he or she for his/her service. The patient is also given an American flag blanket. We also pair our hospice veteran volunteers with Veteran patients if companion visits are requested. Our hospice also participates in the local Veterans Day parade and has other partnerships with local agencies like the VFW and Veterans’ Landing.

Over the years, we have received donated medical equipment which has enabled us to offer our area citizens the ability to borrow medical

Veterans Day Parade

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Donated medical equipment which has enabled us to offer our area citizens the ability to borrow medical equipment at no cost.

Gem Stones & Rocks Books & Jewelry Gem Stone Trees Black Light Room Self Care Line: • Soaps • Bath salts • Body butter • Incense • Candles • Essential oils • Tarot Card Reading

@ Rock’n It Treasures

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equipment at no cost. When people have a surgery or injury, oftentimes they might need equipment for a few weeks to a few months while they are healing. Our most requested items are wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, bedside commodes, toilet seat risers, shower chairs or tub transfer benches. In 2021, we loaned over 553 pieces of equipment.

Our hospice volunteers are an integral part of our hospice team. Oftentimes our volunteers have utilized our hospice for a loved one and want to give of their time and talents to help others. The patient volunteers can provide companionship by visiting with patients, delivering flowers or staying with the patient while the caregiver runs errands, etc. Some volunteers prefer to help in the office by answering phones, doing clerical work, folding mailers or helping with fund-raising events. We also have very talented seamstress volunteers who sew the Memory Keeper Bags, Memory Bears and Quilts.

HNCO is committed to showing quality not only for the care and services we provide but also in the financial oversight and fiduciary responsibility for donations and funding provided to our organization. We are currently governed by a 14-member Board of Directors that represent Ponca City, Newkirk, Blackwell and Tonkawa. We have yearly financial reviews provided by a local accountant, as well as an independent audit completed every three years. In 2017, we wanted to show the highest quality by successfully achieving “Deemed Status” through the Joint Commission. Deemed Status demonstrates that an organization not only meets but exceeds expectations for their particular area of expertise. Our eligible staff has also been working to achieve the National Certified Hospice and Palliative Care certifications, in addition to yearly continuing education. We also continue to score extremely high in quality measures as reflected in our caregiver survey scores and Medicare Hospice Compare online public database.

Through the generous support from donations and fund-raising events, we are able to take care of patients regardless of if they have a payer source. Although Medicare has a hospice benefit, some patients are not eligible for Medicare due to age and do not carry insurance or their insurance does not have a hospice benefit. We do not charge for any service provided here or any support or bereavement services provided. In 2020 and 2021 combined, we wrote off almost $100,000 in courtesy patient services. We are proud to serve this community as the only communityowned, nonprofit, freestanding hospice. If you are interested in supporting hospice, general donations are always welcome or you can participate in one of our fund-raising events throughout the year.

The complexities of COVID-19 and the pandemic have continued to impact our daily lives, but I am proud of the courage and creativity of our staff who continue to find new ways of providing care to our patients. Thanks to our staff, volunteers and support from our community, we have continued with our commitment to providing the best quality endof-life care. We have been through an unprecedented few years, but we have emerged stronger and resilient in our mission of caring for every hospice patient and his/ her family. Thank you for allowing us the privilege to journey with you and your loved ones and for your continued support.