November is National Home Care & Hospice Month, and the entire country salutes the thousands of health-care professionals and volunteers who choose to help those who are sick and dying. Locally, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care honors this month as an important opportunity to recognize the many nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, chaplains, home health aides, companions, and other home-care and hospice staff who assist some of the most vulnerable citizens of our community to help them live comfortably and independently at home, and to provide dignity and compassion at the end of life.
Through home health care and hospice, patients are able to receive care at home, or in dedicated hospice homes, where they can have the quality of care they deserve. More than 12 million Americans rely on home-delivered health care each day for treatment of acute illness, long-term health conditions, permanent disability or terminal illness.
In Santa Barbara last year, VNHC made more than 104,000 patient visits through its Home Health & Personal Care Services to help restore wellness and independence to people in our community, and more than 50,000 visits to support patients and families at the end of life with In-Home Hospice Care. In addition, VNHC loaned durable medical equipment to over 3,000 neighbors, friends and loved ones, at no charge, through its popular Loan Closet. VNHC also provided $2.1 million in charitable care to patients who were unable to pay for necessary treatments and services.
In honor of this special month, VNHC will raise their agency’s flags along downtown State Street from Nov. 15-25. The large heart in motion on each flag symbolizes the compassionate care provided by all VNHC staff and volunteers throughout the community since 1908.
“We are proud to have been providing compassionate home health and hospice care to our community for more than 100 years,” said Lynda Tanner, president and CEO of VNHC. “With our flags flying high, we remind the community that National Home Care & Hospice Month is an opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate the over 370 staff and more than 100 volunteers who devote their lives every day to helping others.”
Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care is the leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive in-home health care. Its mission is to provide high quality, comprehensive home health, hospice and related services necessary to promote the health and well-being of all community residents, including those unable to pay. It serves the greater Santa Barbara area, and Santa Ynez and Lompoc Valleys. Established in 1908, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care is one of Santa Barbara’s oldest nonprofit organizations.
For more information on Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, click here or call 805.965.5555.
— Jennifer Zacharias is a publicist representing Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care.