Hospice program honors veterans

Partners In Care is now a Level 5 Partner with We Honor Veterans (WHV), a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Level 5 is the highest level WHV partners can attain and includes various mandatory activities and educational requirements, with recertification needed annually.

As a WHV partner, Partners In Care provides specialized care to veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness and need support through various services such as the no-cost, resource-based Transitions program for medically fragile individuals, home health care, palliative care, and hospice care.

In addition to the partner requirements completed to earn Levels 1-4, including education for staff and volunteers, developing relationships with VA medical centers and other veteran organizations in the local area and across the state, Level 5 partners achieve excellence in delivering care that is tailored to veterans' needs and expand partnerships with other community-based organizations for wraparound support. Additionally, Level 5 partners take on the role of regional mentor to other WHV partners working to enhance their programs. Partners In Care is now one of only three, level five WHV hospice programs across the state of Oregon.

"When we set out to create the Level 5 program, we knew that it had to be rigorous to ensure partners who earned the title were truly delivering a better care experience for veteran patients and their loved ones. Level 5 partners have not only demonstrated their commitment to the Veteran community, but they have helped shape the WHV program for providers across the country, serving as an example of what all hospice partners should strive to be," said NHPCO Senior Director of Veteran Services, Katherine Kemp.

NHPCO and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to address the growing need for veteran-centered care, especially as veterans continue to age and need access to high-quality hospice and palliative care. Here in Central Oregon, there are over 600 World War II, 1,200 Korean War, and over 7,000 Vietnam War veterans, with countless veterans of younger generations working and living across the tri-counties.

"I am extremely proud of our entire team for reaching Level 5 of the We Honor Veterans program," said Maureen Dooley, Partners In Care veterans outreach coordinator and United States Marine Corps veteran. "Having served ten years in the Marine Corps, I take this role of caring for veterans very seriously, but I can't do it alone! Nearly 10 percent of our over 180 volunteers are veterans, and their involvement is critical to providing much needed vet-to-vet care. It takes a team effort to get to this level. From our clinicians to volunteers, leadership, and partner veteran groups across Central Oregon, everyone is committed to supporting the unique needs of seriously or terminally ill veterans in this community and ensuring they get the highest level of care they deserve."

Veterans are served with respect, integrity, and dignity through veteran-specific care and services provided by the nurses, home care aides, providers, social workers, therapists, chaplains, and volunteers. Many veterans from older generations are not enrolled with the VA for benefits or healthcare and may not be aware of the end-of-life services and benefits available to them, including the Medicare Hospice Benefit and VA-paid hospice care. Much of what the Veterans Outreach team at Partners In Care does in the community is educate veterans about these helpful benefits, as well as increase their awareness of how Partners In Care supports those with serious or terminal illnesses. The team also partners with local veteran organizations to solve unique challenges facing veterans around the community.

Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program at http://www.WeHonorVeterans.org.