30th Anniversary!

Hospice of the North Country is celebrating the merger between Hospice of Clinton County and Caring Friends for Hospice that happened thirty years ago. The introduction of hospice care in the North Country began in the early 1980s in both Clinton and Franklin Counties, independently.

This year marks a special year in Hospice of the North Country’s history; the organization is celebrating 30 years of providing care and support to patients and their families in the North Country. The non-profit’s story began with passionate people who knew their family, friends, and neighbors deserved to experience death with dignity, respect, and compassion. Hospice of the North Country wouldn’t exist today if it wasn’t for the vision and determination of community members in Plattsburgh and Malone. “We are grateful to those who recognized the value of hospice care and built the foundation and legacy that we continue to foster and grow,” said Natalie Whitehurst, Hospice of the North Country, Executive Director.

In 1982, the Council of Community Services in Plattsburgh determined the need for hospice care because of the results of a health needs survey. For the next couple of years, the newly appointed hospice care coordinator focused on building community awareness about the advantages of end-of-life care. In 1984, the first hospice volunteers in Clinton County were trained and began to see patients. Sr. Mary Ann Gour, Spiritual Care Coordinator, has a long history with Hospice of the North Country. As a member of the second class of volunteers trained for hospice care in 1984 and 1985, Gour recounts the early years of Hospice of Clinton County, “In those early years the founding people who started Hospice in Clinton County were Father Hal Meyers (Episcopal priest), Sue Butler, RN, and Sheila Payne,” said Gour. “They were the trailblazers who set the path of hospice to grow forward in bringing compassion and medical expertise to end-of-life care with the deepest respect for the dignity of each patient.” 

In 1986, Hospice Care of Clinton County was organized. By the end of the decade, Hospice of Clinton County became Medicare certified and New York State licensed. (In 1982, Congress included a provision to create a Medicare Hospice Benefit and in 1985 it was made permanent.) Sr. Mary Ann Gour has known every director of hospice since Father Hal Meyers, the first Executive Director, who died this past July. “Those of us who go back to the beginning of Hospice remember him and we are grateful for he and his team, and all the work done laying the foundation of Hospice in Clinton County.

Hospice care awareness was growing in the health care system, and it caught the attention of retired nurses, Alice Ballard and Shirley Clarke from Alice Hyde Medical Center. Both women had years of experience caring for patients in the end-of-life journey and knew there was an incredible opportunity to help people die with dignity and comfort at home surrounded by their families. Ballard and Clarke recruited community volunteers to help them educate patients and families about the benefits of hospice care and in 1984 they started Caring Friends for Hospice in Malone. Caring Friends was strictly a volunteer organization and not Medicare certified.

 Hospice Care of Clinton County was aware of Caring Friend’s interest in becoming a certified hospice and discussions began about the possibility of a merger. As a result, Hospice Care of Clinton County submitted an application to the New York State Department of Health to expand the catchment area to cover northern Franklin County and merge with Caring Friends. The application was accepted and in 1992 the two organizations became Hospice of the North Country.

Over the past thirty years, the organization has experienced changes, successes, and challenges. Hospice of the North Country has kept pace with advances in medical and computer technology as well as governing quality regulations while continuing to provide the same level of care that Alice Ballard provided and would expect to see today. Whitehurst credits the organization’s growth to unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care while upholding quality standards. “We’re proud of our quality scores, but we are gratified to measure our success by the families who are able to share love, laughter, and special moments,” said Whitehurst. “Our team is passionate about ensuring all patients and their families experience the end-of-life journey with dignity, comfort, and acceptance.” 

An important and exciting chapter in Hospice of the North Country’s history began in 2009. Once again it was the community who rallied in support of its hospice care provider. A group of concerned community members and hospice supporters determined the non-profit should no longer have to rent space to house its administrative offices. It was Don and Sue Kasprzak of Plattsburgh who made this dream possible—they offered an opportunity to purchase land at half of market value. And so began a community campaign to ‘build a home for hospice’ on the Tom Miller Road in Plattsburgh. Many local suppliers, vendors, contractors, and service providers joined forces to build a facility with donations or discounts for building materials and labor. Ultimately, this wave of community support ensured that Hospice would not have a mortgage on the new building.

Volunteerism has been integral in the delivery of hospice services since its inception. In the beginning of the hospice movement, patient care was provided by volunteer nurses and physicians. The federal government recognized the importance of volunteers in hospice, so it became mandated under Medicare that five percent of all patient care hours in hospice be provided by trained volunteers. Today, Hospice of the North Country has a team of twenty-three volunteers who provide support in patient homes and in the offices. This group of men and women give selflessly to help families navigate the end-of-life journey and provide valuable support for office personnel. Volunteers enable Hospice of the North Country to provide exceptional care to patients and families and by sharing their time, talents, and expertise, our volunteers share compassion and attention for those in need.

Hospice of the North Country celebrates its 30th anniversary with the community, as it is thanks to its long-standing and generous support that the organization continues to fulfill its mission. “We could not fulfill our mission without the support of our generous communities—financial contributions fund nursing services, medical equipment, caregiver education, and grief support services,” said Cathlyn Lamitie, Hospice Director of Development/Communications. “More importantly, community support allows families to experience more moments together.”

Hospice is more than traditional health care. Hospice of the North Country provides pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible. Hospice care is a combination of the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing the end of life.

The Hospice of the North Country team can provide care in a patient’s home, in hospitals*, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities—wherever the patient calls home. Among its major responsibilities, hospice care includes the following:

  • managing the patient’s pain and symptoms

  • assisting the patient with the emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects of dying

  • providing needed prescriptions, medical supplies, and equipment related to hospice diagnosis

  • educating and supports family on how to care for their loved one

  • making short-term inpatient care available when pain or symptoms become too difficult to treat at home, or the caregiver needs respite*

  • providing bereavement care and counseling to surviving family and friends

  • offering volunteer assistance for patients and families

  • assisting families with accessing community resources

The term “hospice” (from the same linguistic root as “hospitality”) can be traced back to medieval times when it referred to a place of shelter and rest for weary or ill travelers on a long journey. The name was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by physician Dame Cicely Saunders, who began her work with the terminally ill in 1948 and eventually went on to create the first modern hospice—St. Christopher’s Hospice—in a residential suburb of London.

Saunders introduced the idea of specialized care for the dying to the United States during a 1963 visit with Yale University. Her lecture, given to medical students, nurses, social workers, and chaplains about the concept of holistic hospice care, included photos of terminally ill cancer patients and their families, showing the dramatic differences before and after the symptom control care.

For additional information about hospice and advance care planning, call Hospice of the North Country at 518.483.3200 (Malone office) or 518.561.8465 (Plattsburgh office). Or you can visit hospicenc.org. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations Caring Connections offers information and resources for professionals and consumers at caringinfo.org.

 

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