In what we hope will be a more frequent event in our newsletter (reply to this email if you’d like to be included), we’d like to do a Q&A to feature one of our awesome clients. This month we’d like to feature a business whose focus is enhancing the quality of life for the terminally ill and their families. This month, we feature Hospice of Redmond.
- Name of your business? Hospice of Redmond
- What is your name, title? Christine Lewis, Marketing Coordinator
- Tell me about your business, the services it provides and region you serve? Hospice of Redmond is committed to enhancing the quality of life for the terminally ill and their families. We offer a variety of quality services aimed at allowing terminally ill patients to remain in their homes and as active and in control of their lives as possible. Hospice of Redmond affirms life and our services focus on our patient, not just their illness. We tailor our medical and emotional support to our patient’s needs and wishes, honoring their wishes about their care in the comfort of their own home. Hospice of Redmond takes a small team approach to care. We work closely with the patient’s physician and our entire team, including Medical Director, Registered Nurses, social workers, hospice aides, and chaplains, knows the patients and their families.
Hospice also offers bereavement counseling to members of the community, a non-medical Transitions program for people with chronic, life-limiting illnesses, community health/wellness education, alternative therapies, caregiver support, and Camp Sunrise, an annual grief camp for children. Hospice of Redmond, an independent, Medicare-certified, non-profit organization, has served the Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties including Redmond, Bend, Sisters, Tumalo, Powell Butte, Prineville, Terrebonne, Crooked River Ranch, Madras, and surrounding areas since 1981.
- When did you start your business and what motivated you to do so? Hospice of Redmond was the first hospice in Central Oregon established in 1981 by a community group lead by local surgeon Dr. Marinus Koning along with Ruth Miller (Director of the Central Oregon Community Action Network) and Vivian Rood (Director of Nursing at Central Oregon Community Hospital). These founders recognized that dying in a hospital room was less than ideal, so they were committed to create “something better” for the end-of-life care for the residents of Central Oregon. Hospice of Redmond was established and initially staffed with dedicated volunteers. Hospice of Redmond grew, became a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, and was certified by Medicare.
- How many employees do you have? We have 20 employees as well as almost 100 trained volunteers who help serve our clients and their families.
- What makes your business unique in this market and why should a customer use your services? We think our small team approach makes us unique. Each patient has an assigned team of caregivers but the entire clinical staff is updated regularly on all patients. Our patients and their families can call their team nurse or an on-call nurses 24/7 to get assistance or advice.
- What about your business makes you most proud? The quality of care for terminally ill patients and the compassion shown by our clinical staff.
- Weston’s core purpose is to better the lives of others which would include our clients and our community and the charities we support. Tell us a little bit how you like to give back and serve your community? We believe strongly that quality end of life care should be offered and provided to all individuals regardless of insurance and/or ability to self-pay, so we continue that mission in providing care at no cost regardless. Our annual Camp Sunrise is a 3-day grief camp for children who have lost a loved one and is aimed at helping kids process their feelings about loss and begin the healing process. This program is free to all children that attend and is funded through donations to our organization. We also partner with a number of providers in Central Oregon to provide education open to the community on topics such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Care for the Caregiver.
- How have Weston’s services and its people helped your business? Weston, both their services and staff have become an incredible asset to our organization. As technology in healthcare continues to grow, so does the need to ensure protection of patient’s PHI (Protected Health Information). Weston worked directly with our Executive Director and Compliance Officer to structure and map out a strategic plan including encrypted equipment security and updates to programs and software necessary to ensure the confidentiality of our information. Weston has also been instrumental in improving efficiencies with our technology. The incredible work by the Weston team led to Executive Director Karla Stead suggestion to CEO Brock McFarlane follow the Weston name with the tagline “Making Executive Director’s Dreams Come True.” It is unclear if that suggestion is under review by Weston! (Editor’s Note: It’s under consideration.)