Mountain Hospice held their annual Camp Good Grief, a free one-day camp for children who have experienced grief, at the Elkins First United Methodist Church on Tuesday. Local children were able to enjoy a fun-filled day with activities, games, and crafts that related to the grieving process. From painting their feelings, to a puppet show, campers learned ways to express their feelings in a positive way.

Patty Delauder, Bereavement and Volunteer Coordinator with Mountain Hospice, said, “These camps are a great way for the kids to express their grief. Sometimes children bottle up their emotions and don’t know who to talk to, so this camp is a great way for them to learn how to cope with grief and learn what is normal when grieving.”

The campers were also treated with a visit from the Elkins Fire Department. They learned how to stay safe in case of an emergency, how the fire engine works, and not to be afraid or scared of firemen and other public safety personnel. Mountain Hospice’s family of Bears, Comfort and Compassion, made a surprise appearance as well.

Austin Currence, Marketing Assistant with Mountain Hospice, explained, “The kids we have here today have been through a lot. If we can just show one kid that they’re not alone, and that there are ways to cope, that sounds like a good day to me.”

Mountain Hospice holds five Camp Good Grief dates each summer to cover their service area. Camps are held in Randolph, Barbour, Tucker, Pendleton, and Keyser Counties. Each Camp Good Grief is a free event, with lunch provided. Transportation is available.

For more information on Camp Good Grief, or for more information on Mountain Hospice, call (304) 823-3922.

Mountain Hospice gains top honors with their float during the Mountain State Forest Festival. This year’s theme, “The Majestic Roads Lead to Royalty”, showcased husband and wife team Marvin and Sharon Brown. This husband and wife team, both volunteers at Mountain Hospice, adorned the top of the float as our royalty portrayal.

The body of the float was designed with roads weaving throughout, with the Elkins, West Virginia Mountain State Forest Festival Train and United States Flag anchoring the rear of the float.

Mountain Hospice will be holding their annual Memorial Services throughout November to honor and remember hospice patients that have passed away within the past year. We would like to extend an invitation to the public so they too can honor and remember their loved ones. Anyone who is interested in attending may contact Patty Delauder, Bereavement & Volunteer Coordinator, at (304) 823-3922. You may email [email protected] for additional information as well!

Mike Elza, Director of Marketing and Public Education, and Austin Currence, Marketing Assistant, took part in the annual Beverly Fireman’s Festival Parade this past weekend.

REMEMBER: Not all hospices are the same. Contact Mountain Hospice, your only hometown hospice in West Virginia. An organization with zero deficiencies obtained during a recent Medicare OFLAC Survey.

Mountain Hospice provides “Comfort & Compassion When It’s Needed Most”.
(304) 823-3922

Mountain Hospice Named a 2018 Hospice Honors Recipient

Belington WV May 22, 2018 — Mountain Hospice has been named a 2018 Hospice Honors recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, the leading provider of Web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analytics. Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.

“We are excited to recognize the 2018 Hospice Honors recipients for their hard work and dedication to providing exceptional care,” said J. Kevin Porter of HEALTHCAREfirst. “I congratulate Mountain Hospice on its success in achieving this highest of honors.”

Award criteria were based on Hospice CAHPS survey results for an evaluation period of October 2016 through September 2017. Award recipients were identified by evaluating performance on a set of 24 quality indicator measures. Performance scores were aggregated from all completed surveys and were compared on a question- by-question basis to a National Performance Score calculated from all partnering hospices contained in the HEALTHCAREfirst’s Hospice CAHPS database. Hospice Honors recipients include those hospices scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Performance Score on 20 of the evaluated questions. HEALTHCAREfirst holds a special recognition, Hospice Honors Elite, to honor hospices scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Performance Score on all 24 of the evaluated questions. Please visit HEALTHCAREfirst’s website at www.healthcarefirst.com to learn more about HEALTHCAREfirst Hospice CAHPS survey program as well as the Hospice Honors awards.

Mountain Hospice, Don Trimble, CEO, credits our hardworking team of nurses, aides, and personnel for our success. “I am very proud of our team. We work extremely hard on a daily basis to make sure our patients and their loved ones feel supported. We want them to be confident that they are not on this journey alone. We will continue to set our standards high and give the best hospice services possible.”

About Mountain Hospice:

Mountain Hospice provides comprehensive programs for the residents of Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker Counties in West Virginia. This includes physiological. Psychological, social, and spiritual comfort and care for the terminally ill individual, family, and close friends. We provide “Comfort & Compassion When It’s Needed Most.”

About HEALTHCAREfirst

 HEALTHCAREfirst provides web-based technologies and services to improve business and clinical operations for over four thousand home health and hospice providers across the United States. Based in Springfield, MO and one of the fastest growing providers of its kind, the company provides agency and clinical management software, outsourced revenue cycle management services (billing, coding and OASIS Review), CAHPS surveys, and advanced analytics, in any combination. HEALTHCAREfirst’s breadth of solutions offers agencies a single source to improve patient care, create operational efficiencies, increase profitability, and simplify CMS compliance. With HEALTHCAREfirst, agencies can focus on patients instead of paperwork. For more information, please call 800.841.6095 or visit the company’s website at www.healthcarefirst.com.

Mountain Hospice had their Triannual Survey from WV State Surveyors and were found to be deficiency free. The State Surveyors conduct an in depth review of the entire Hospice Program.

They do chart reviews on current and deceased patients; assess the Bereavement and Volunteer Program, and they conduct on site patient visits with the nursing staff. The State Surveyors ensure that Mountain Hospice follows the Conditions of Participation for Medicare from patient care to billing practices.  What does this mean for our patients?  It means that Mountain Hospice understands how important it is to deliver the best Hospice Services possible. From leadership to bedside staff, this high level quality care was demonstrated to the State Surveyors.  Our referral sources entrust the care of their patients to the staff of Mountain Hospice at a time that is very difficult for the patient and their loved ones. Mountain Hospice knows that it takes dedication from all of the staff in order to accomplish this.

CEO Don Trimble stated, “ I am very proud of our team. We work extremely hard on a daily basis to make sure our patients and their loved ones feel supported.  We want them to be confident that they are not on this journey alone.  Our deficiency free survey confirms this. We will continue to set our standards high and give the best Hospice Services possible.”

BELINGTON — Social workers at Mountain Hospice help provide support and education to patients and families who are facing a terminal illness. In addition, they help with advance directives and making patients’ wishes at end-of-life known.

The social workers at Mountain Hospice often go above and beyond their duties as social workers, spending a little extra time with a patient or family member who needs extra care. Or you may hear of a social worker who helped a husband and wife renew their wedding vows after 63 years of marriage or take one last vacation together to the beach. You may hear of a social worker who helped get a ramp built for a patient so she could get outside and enjoy her garden and grandchildren. A social worker may help a veteran get the services they deserved through their local Veterans Affairs Clinic. The social workers at Mountain Hospice are touching the lives of the patients and families each day in their own special way. Mountain Hospice social workers stand up for patients and families.

Continue reading “Mountain Hospice supports families” →