Circles of Influence
Highlights of the Continuing Journey of Past Circle of Life Winners
2007
Organization: Covenant Hospice, Pensacola, FL. The hospice’s innovations include its culture of leadership throughout the organization, strong educational outreach, and evidence-based tools and protocols.
Recent Achievements: The hospice continues to grow and its census continues to increase. A recently-acquired not-for-profit subsidiary assists caregivers of Alzheimer and dementia patients, providing respite care and locator bracelets. The hospice also continues its work with leadership development through its Studer Alliance.
Award Impact: The award gained extensive coverage locally and with state and national hospice organizations. Local media coverage included two major network affiliates. In addition, executive staff and board members received congratulatory notes and e-mail from community members.
The award crystal travels among the 11 branch offices (one month at each stop) and has a place of honor in each location.
The award strengthened the hospice’s already-good relationships with local hospitals and gave Covenant even more credibility among community social service providers. And it is credited with helping stabilize donations—with the award highlighted on the hospice website, which is also used to solicit donations.
The hospice has also helped others in preparing Circle of Life applications.
Organization: University of California San Francisco Palliative Care Program, San Francisco, CA. Innovation highlights include use of hospitalists in end-of-life and palliative care, commitment to research and shared learnings, and emphasis on educating the next generation of practitioners.
Recent Achievements: UCSF is a CAPC Palliative Care Leadership Center and continues its efforts with hospitals developing palliative care programs. It is currently working with California public hospitals and hospitals in the Pacific Northwest/Regence Foundation and plans to help established programs measure and improve quality. Its first four fellows in an accredited fellowship program start July 2010.
The program received a mayoral proclamation on its 10th anniversary. It also held a session at the Commonwealth Club on end-of-life care and conducted radio and television interviews during the recent health reform debates (regarding “death panels”).
Award Impact: The Circle of Life Award recognition helps as another mark of quality. Internally, the award brought the team recognition on the hospital websites and let people feel good that they were part of an award-wining program. It increased the number of staff who want to work with the team.
The program always includes on grant applications that it received the Circle of Life Award—highlighting the award as national recognition.
The application and site visit process was an opportunity to marshal medical center support and to step back, document, and gather in one place the impact of work done.
Organization: Woodwell—A Program of Presbyterian SeniorCare and Family Hospice and Palliative Care, Oakmont, PA. The program was cited for its partnership between a long-term care regional network and hospice training for all staff including maintenance and housekeeping, and seamless end-of-life and palliative care delivery by nursing home and hospice staff.
Recent Achievements: The organization continues to progress toward its goal of a homelike environment. In addition, it provides family member outreach with grief and loss programs.
The active collaboration between the long-term care facility and the hospice has strengthened with the staffs providing mutual support. The long-term care facility staff is educated with a hospice in-service and has become more comfortable with palliative care.
Award Impact: The award strengthened and built on the organization’s commitment to sound hospice care. The external recognition adds to patient and family comfort with hospice care. And it has strengthened peer recognition within the long-term care community.