Dear Colleagues and Partners:
I am sure that you are being inundated with information from so many sources that it can seem like drinking water from a firehose at times. And while we don't want to add to that volume, I want to assure you that Community Hospice & Palliative Care is prepared to continue to partner with you to meet the needs of our patients, families, and community. To that point, please allow me to share a few important updates with you.
- Admissions: We continue to admit patients daily to both our palliative and hospice programs. Our staff members are experts when it comes to identifying and helping people in need of advanced illness and end-of-life care, including those who have or may test positive for the COVID-19 virus. If you have questions or need to refer a patient, please call our 24/7 patient referral line at 866.253.6681. You can also contact Sherrie Bennett our Director of Admissions at sbennett@communityhospice.com.
- COVID-19 Patients: Community Hospice & Palliative Care has worked diligently to identify and implement appropriate clinical protocols and we are ready to provide care for patients in the hospital, at home, in a long term care facility or in one of our inpatient units. As always, we are working with all of our partner facilities to ensure that we are following their protocols to meet the needs of our patients and families. If you have specific questions regarding clinical care for our patients in-home or long-term care settings, please reach out to Bobbie Hoover, Director of Home and Long Term Care Nursing Services at bhoover1@communityhospice.com. If you have specific questions regarding inpatient care, please reach out to Christina McCurdy, Director of Inpatient Care Nursing Services at cmccurdy@communityhospice.com.
- Palliative Consults: We continue to provide critical assessments and goals of care discussions in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, long term care facilities, and patient residences. We have added the capability to provide telemedicine where appropriate and preferred. To request a palliative consult, please call 904.407.7700, and if you have specific questions regarding palliative care, please reach out to Faith Moorhouse, Administrator for Community Palliative Consultants at fmoorhouse@communitypalliative.com.
- Emotional Support: We are continuing to provide grief and bereavement services with many of our support groups transitioning to telephonic methods during this crisis. We recognize the importance of staying connected with those who have lost a loved one even in an environment of social distancing. If you have questions, please reach out to Byron Beall, Manager of Grief and Bereavement Services at bbeall@communityhospice.com.
- Operations: Although most of our administrative services have transitioned to working remotely, they are still available to answer your questions and provide services without interruption. You can continue to reach these essential services by calling our main line at 800.274.6614.
To help our patients and families, and to keep the general public updated, we created a COVID-19
Updates and Resources page on our website at CommunityHospice.com. On this page, you will find our Hospice Patient and Caregiver Guide, Hospice Quick Tips for Symptoms Relief Booklet, Palliative Patient Guide and Community Palliative Consultants Brochure/Info resources. Since we may not be able to get materials to you for your patients, we hope this page will prove helpful.
We are in our 41st year of service to this community and recognize that the current situation is like nothing we have ever faced before. For that reason, I want to close the note with the assurance that we are here to work together with you to meet the needs of our community. Please reach out when you need to so that we can find the appropriate solutions to meet the needs of our patients and families.
I am here for you. We are here for you. Together we are Community.
Sincerely,
Phillip Ward,
Chief Operating Officer
Community Hospice & Palliative Care