Michael Kraft
Americans tend to put off thoughts of death and dying, often to our detriment. The people at Hospice of Humboldt know something about this. They hope that we come to view death and dying as being about the journey, the quality of life and not simply the end of life.
Dianne Keating is the CEO, and also someone who had the support of hospice clinicians through the death of her father, an experience that she found to be profoundly meaningful.
The organization was started by volunteers back in 1979. It now employs over 100 staff members and enjoys the time and talent of approximately 80 volunteers caring for over 800 patients annually.
Here are some key things Hospice folks want you to know:
· It’s a “big myth” that hospice care exists just for the very end of life. “Call us sooner and we’ll help you navigate this journey together.”
· People do sometimes get off of hospice care. Staff affectionately call them “graduates”—patients whose symptoms were managed so effectively by the team that hospice care was no longer needed.
· Hospice is not synonymous with dying but end of life is easier with the support you and your loved ones receive day in and day out. People remember the Hospice of Humboldt team coming in, helping make precious memories.
· Several of the organization’s key services can be paid for by private insurance, Medicare or Medi-Cal. There are no out-of-pocket costs.
Over time, services and staffing have grown significantly. Among them are the addition of the Ida Emmerson Hospice House, a home-like facility that serves over 100 people per year, and a Home-Based Palliative Care program, which that cares for an average of 70 patients a day.
The staff and board represent some of the most mission-driven people you can find. The Hospice House provides an example. It gives patients a place to stay, where the Hospice team provides care and also respite for family caregivers. Dianne says, “We budget to lose about $1 million per year on the house. But the board knew we would, and they knew how important and critical it is to the mission: to provide heartfelt end of life care and bereavement services to all who need them in northern Humboldt County.” There are plans to expand the service. Since opening in 2016 they were able to staff six rooms, however sometime this summer, they plan to double the capacity to fully utilize all twelve rooms.
The house includes a living room, where there have been holiday gatherings, birthday celebrations and even Super Bowl parties.
The organization delivers its form of home-based palliative care in person. This care provides an extra layer of support for people who have chronic conditions, who aren’t ready for hospice, or who are not eligible, but still need support. It provides social workers, nurses, and people who serve as navigators of the health care system and related issues. Due to the critical need in our community for this type of care, Hospice of Humboldt is currently fundraising to double the capacity of this program too.
Another important service: grief support services, which are community supported. You don’t need to have a previous connection with Hospice to take advantage of them, and the services are newly available in Spanish, via Zoom, anywhere in the county.
When it comes to funding, Dianne says that it’s too soon to know whether federal funding cuts will impact the effort. “We don’t anticipate reimbursement cuts, but we may see fewer people who qualify. As a mission-driven organization, we won’t turn anyone away.”
Tia Baratelle serves as Director of Development. Her work benefits from Hospice of Humboldt’s great reputation. While reimbursements pay most of the bills, fundraising fills gaps and allows the organization to go above and beyond for every patient and family they care for. To donate: give Tia a call at 707-445-8443 or visit the website https://www.hospiceofhumboldt.org/ways-to-give.
Additionally, Hospice of Humboldt is always looking for volunteers. These people fill all sorts of roles, including patient care, administrative work, staffing the thrift store, and providing grief support. Find information here: https://www.hospiceofhumboldt.org/volunteer.
Better yet: ask to take a tour. Visit the facility and talk with a team member or two. While you’re there, see if they’ll tell you the story about the nice man and the biodegradable golf balls.
Michael Kraft writes the Good Work series, volunteering on behalf of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN). NorCAN supports connections between people and organizations that work every day to keep our communities healthy and strong by offering professional development, board support, networking connections and more. Learn more at https://norcal-nonprofits.org/. To nominate a deserving nonprofit organization to be profiled, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.
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