Florida Hospital HospiceCare Honors Volunteers

ORMOND BEACH, Fla., March 15, 2016 On March 1, Florida Hospital HospiceCare honored its volunteers over brunch at its annual volunteer recognition event at Plantation Bays Club de Bonmont in Ormond Beach.

Florida Hospital Flagler CEO Ken Mattison and Florida Hospital Flagler chief medical officer Dr. Ronald Thomas greeted the 180 Florida Hospital HospiceCare volunteers that serve throughout Flagler and Volusia counties.

Florida Hospital HospiceCare assistant director of clinical operations Holly Van Hoose offered opening comments and Daytona State College Flagler County campus dean Kent Ryan provided a brief history of Florida Hospital Hospice Cares growth over the past 20 years.

Since Florida Hospital Hospice Cares inception in 1996, they've seen tremendous growth and have expanded their reach, from building the eight-bed Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House on the campus of Florida Hospital Flagler in Palm Coast, to opening inpatient units at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach and Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City, said Ryan, former executive director of the Florida Hospital Memorial Foundation which helped fund the Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House construction. Whether patients are in their own homes or in one of the inpatients units, Florida Hospital HospiceCare provides services to those in need, and remains the areas only faith-based, not-for-profit hospice organization accredited by The Joint Commission.

Barbara Cady, Florida Hospital HospiceCare volunteer specialist, shared an update on the Pet Peace of Mind program that assists Florida Hospital HospiceCare patients with basic care for their pets.

Many patients have expressed concerns to us about meeting their pets needs and everyday care, said Cady. The Pet Peace of Mind program recognizes and supports the unique bond between hospice patients and their pets, and aligns with the Florida Hospital HospiceCare mission to care for both the patient and their family members with spiritual, psychological and medical support. We wanted to find a way to help relieve our patients' stress and fears about the care of their pet. The national Pet Peace of Mind Program offers us the tools and training to help care for our patients four-legged family members.

Sophies Circle founder Kathy Blackman, thanked the volunteers for their generous pet food and supplies donations which support their efforts to rescue and rehome local pets. Sophies Circle is Volusia County's only pet food pantry and is dedicated to providing pet food to financially-challenged families to keep pets in their homes where they belong.

Raeanne Cade, Florida Hospital HospiceCare volunteer coordinator, expressed great appreciation for their great contributions to the program's success.

In 2015, our Hospice volunteers contributed an extraordinary 16,729 volunteer hours at a value of almost $386,000, Cade said. While this cost savings is very important, our hospice volunteers most important contribution was in their connection to patients and their families, and the comfort and enhanced quality of life this connection created.

Cade, Cady, and Gloria Pagan, Florida Hospital HospiceCare volunteer, recognized to individual volunteers for their contributions with service awards.

Ormond Beach resident Suzy Suring was recognized for her volunteer service to Florida Hospital HospiceCare for more than 15 years.

The following volunteers were recognized for 15 years of service: Ormond Beach residents Elizabeth Klein, Edie and Bill Roy and Jay VanRhee, as well as Palm Coast resident Mary Ellen Keck.

The following volunteers were recognized for more than 10 years of service: Karyn Jacobs, Tim Klein, Teri Kowalski, Kathy Lynch, Mary Mathwich, Walt Roberts, Nancy Suthard and Maureen Villiotte.

Volunteering is an important and fulfilling part of my life whether I am at home in Ohio or Florida, said Lynch, a seasonal Ormond Beach resident from Cleveland, Ohio. I can't say enough about sharing the importance of hospice to others. People do not know enough about the benefits of hospice.

The following volunteers were recognized for more than 5 years of service: Marti Breehl, Carol Cattell, Susan Cole, Glenna Colley, Mary DeGovanni, Sue Doidge, Rosemary Duckett, Doris Edmonds, Janice Faucher, Edgar Gib Gibbons, Sherry Gilbert, Diane Gordner, Kiralyna Halchishak, Mary Hormovitis, Cathie Irene, Mildred Jones, Lyn Leitschuh, Ann Matteson, Charlotte McBride, Mary Jo Meese, Diane Mettler, Yvonne Monsanto, Linda ONeill, Maritza Patterson, Liz Pietro, Nancy Saum, Roberta Sebo, Nancy Toms, Pat Vath, Sandy Ward, Judith Wendler, and Frances Murph Zadel.

The following volunteers were recognized for 5 years of service: Anna Allen, Mary Bartimocci, Clare Bentzley, Debbie Carter, Irene Corday, Kay Kerins, Eleen Laubenheim, Maurice and Valerie Millard, Miriam Picconi, Frank and Whitney Pirnat, Helen Radin, Richard Sowle, Mary Stevenson, Dortha Walker and Paul Wilhelmsen.

The following volunteers were recognized for 1 year of service: Marie Accomando, Kelli Beasley, Fred Brown, Diane Calapiz, Lois Copeland, Neil Copeland, Marlene Curtain, Pat Dalrymple, Linda Furney, Betty Garrett, Lisette Gilkey, Cynthia Griffith, Hal Hansen, Rosemarie Hansen, Barbara Kilgore, Marilyn Kontol, Carson McMullen, Sharon McMullen, Barbara Millwood, Jean Mort, Adeline Nelson, Lorraine Pinto, Ed Reed, Deb Scherman, Beverly Shook, Joe Sullivan and Kathy Vance.

Special recognition was given to community supporters: Blooming Flowers and Gifts, Flowers Central, Hammock Gardens Nursery and Florist, Simply Roses Florist, Hospice Quilt project, St. Marys Church Wreath Group, Cookie Brown Images, Byrds Nest Quilt Shop, Pet Partners Evaluator Merilee Kelly, Pet Peace of Mind Consulting Veterinarians Drs. John Bass and Kelly Long. Bear Creek Community, and Breakaway Trails Community.

About Florida Hospital HospiceCare

Florida Hospital HospiceCare, a division of Florida Hospital Flagler and a member of Adventist Health System, is the areas only faith-based, not-for-profit hospice organization accredited by The Joint Commission. Florida Hospital HospiceCare has provided life-affirming care to the residents of Volusia and Flagler Counties facing life-limiting illnesses and injuries since 1996. With an interdisciplinary team of hospice-trained specialists, Florida Hospital HospiceCare provides services to those in need, whether the patient is in their own home or in one of the Florida Hospital HospiceCare inpatients units designed for acute care. For more information on Florida Hospital HospiceCare, call our administrative office at Call386-671-2138 or Call1-800-404-1133.