Events

Houston Hospice Spirit Award Honors The Garden Club of Houston

Houston Hospice is pleased to announce this year’s Spirit Award Dinner will be honoring The Garden Club of Houston. The 22nd annual celebration will be a hybrid event, live-streaming and in-person, and is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the River Oaks Country Club, 1600 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, Texas.

 

Author Elin Hilderbrand to host Houston Hospice Spirit Award Dinner

Author Elin Hilderbrand

Historically, The Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award recognizes the grace and generosity of a community leader or organization that has made a positive impact on the Greater Houston Area. Established in 1924, this year’s honoree, The Garden Club of Houston, has supported a plethora of Houston area green spaces, including The Garden at Houston Hospice, in addition to providing educational programs that promote the love of horticulture in children, teens, and adults.


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Hospice month celebrates success of nation’s first coordinated care model

Published in The Hill by Edo Banach, Opinion Contributor

While there’s no shortage of partisan disagreements on Capitol Hill, one hopes the combative environment that’s become the norm in Washington might take a brief pause now that midterm elections are behind us. At a time when unity and common ground are sorely needed in our politics and our policymaking, one health care program stands out as a reminder of how bipartisanship works at its best: the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

This extraordinary policy achievement was made possible by lawmakers who put aside their differences in the interest of the Americans they served. Enacted as a demonstration in 1978 and a Medicare benefit in 1982, hospice programs have served millions of Americans and their families with compassionate care to relieve pain, manage symptoms, supported beneficiaries and their family caregivers, and provided bereavement services for individuals following the death of a loved one. The benefit has been invaluable to patients and lifesaving for families. And it never would have happened without lawmakers who were committed to the concept, and to working together.

Democrats, including Sens. John Glenn (Ohio) and Bill Bradley (N.J.), joined with Republican senators like Bob Dole (Kan.) and Chuck Grassley(Iowa) to pass what then-Rep. Leon Panetta (D-Calif.) called a “political miracle.” Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.) personally collected commitments from 68 senators to pass the Heinz-Dole-Packwood amendment to provide hospice services to terminally ill Medicare patients.

Not only did this bipartisan act show how a diverse group of legislators could come together for the good of the country but the hospice benefit itself has become an example of how our fragmented health care system can – and should – work together for the betterment of patients. As America’s original coordinated care model, hospice brings together a multidisciplinary team of providers to meet all aspects of a dying patient’s physical, spiritual and emotional needs. No other health care sector is required to address all aspects of a patient’s, and their family’s, health and wellbeing.

Those elected to serve in the upcoming Congress should know that hospice is a program that works and a Medicare benefit that matters to their constituents. As seasoned and novice legislators alike consider health policy reforms, they should look to the success of the hospice model as an example of preserving what works, and help expand access to comprehensive, coordinated care and person- and family- centered care to all patients with serious, advanced and life-limiting illness. We should also reinforce the foundation of hospice to ensure access, choice and quality care at the end of life.

Hospice is not only best for patients at the end of life, it is also good for the Medicare program. Study after study show hospice care improves quality of life, delivers on patient and family satisfaction and reduces unnecessary costs for Medicare beneficiaries at the end of life. Thirty-plus years later, hospice is a reminder that there are policy solutions that work for both sides of the aisle and across our nation for all Americans. The fruits of cooperation live on today in a Medicare benefit that serves 1.43 million Americans annually.

It’s sometimes unclear if the dust will ever settle in Washington, and if we’ll ever get back to a place of collegiality and bipartisanship in Congress. If our nation’s remarkable hospice benefit is any indication, great things can certainly happen if it does.

Edo Banach is President and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

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They’ve Made Houston Better: Spirit Award Recipients Sally and Bob Thomas

We all have that friend. The person who has seemingly endless energy and creativity. They accomplish more by noon than most of us do all day. This describes Sally and Bob Thomas — and when you Sally and Bob Thomasharness that kind of energy for good, you make a difference. They have had a positive impact on Houston and we are delighted they will receive the 2017 Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award on October 12, 2017.

Sally Thomas

Sally Thomas was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and earned a BS in Geology from the University of Oklahoma. She worked as a geologist with Humble Oil Company when she met Bob Thomas. After marriage and the birth of their four daughters, Sally has dedicated her life to her family and community. She organized and taught Red Cross and Girl Scout swimming programs for over 32 years; taking her synchronized swimming team all the way to the Junior Olympics in Nebraska. Sally is currently an Advisory Trustee of the Retina Research Foundation, and she has served as a member of the Interfaith AIDS Respite Team at St. Cecilia Catholic Church where she is also a Lector and Eucharistic Minister.

Sally has shared her love for geology as a docent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Gem and Mineral Hall. She was President of Memorial Women’s Club, and Houston Hospice previously honored Sally with the Betty Evans Award for Service as both a patient volunteer and board president. In 2012, The University of Oklahoma recognized her as a Distinguished Alumna of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.

Bob Thomas

Bob Thomas was born in Maramec, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BS in Geological Engineering. After graduation, he served in the United States Air Force as a pilot, including a combat tour during the Korean War. Bob returned to the University of Oklahoma for graduate studies and joined Tenneco’s domestic exploration and production operations as a junior engineer in 1956. His distinguished career culminated in his election as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1990. Bob retired in 1994.

Like Sally, Bob has dedicated his life to community service. He served on the Houston Hospice Board of Directors from 2002-2012 and co-chaired two major fundraising campaigns. Bob has served as Trustee of the Houston Museum of Natural Science and as a member of the Board of Governors for Houston Forum.

Bob is a lifetime member and past Chairman of the Board of Stewards of Chapelwood United Methodist Church. He served on the church’s Building Committee and supervised the construction of a $25 million expansion of church facilities. Bob is currently serving as a Life Member of the Association Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater Houston. He was elected to the Board in 1988 with past service including terms as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Board. Bob’s service to the YMCA has included leading major fundraising efforts in 1996, 2004 and 2005, helping The YMCA of Greater Houston become the third largest YMCA in the U.S.

The 19th Annual Community Spirit Award Dinner

“Sally and Bob have made a profound, positive impact on Houston Hospice and our entire community,” says Cynthia Nordt, Vice President of Development and External Affairs for Houston Hospice. “They personify the essence of the Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award. They have made Houston a better place.”

The public is invited to celebrate Sally and Bob Thomas as they are recognized for their unwavering service at the 19th Annual Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award Dinner on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at River Oaks Country Club at 1600 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, Texas. Dinner tickets and table sponsorships will help fund nonprofit hospice care in Houston and 10 surrounding counties. Visit  www.houstonhospice.org/spirit_award_dinner or contact Cynthia Nordt at 713-677-7123 for tickets and table sponsorships.

—Karla Goolsby, Houston Hospice Communications Specialist

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Mitch Albom: bringing humor & insight to Houston

According to Albom We’re All Connected

Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom, best-selling author, journalist and broadcaster will make a rare Houston appearance to speak at the Houston Hospice 15th Annual Butterfly Luncheon on Tuesday, March 29, 2016. With the humor, insight and compassion that made his first novel, Tuesdays with Morrie, a runaway best-seller, Albom, will talk about the connectedness that serendipitously results from the seemingly random path of life’s journey. This is a major theme of his latest book, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, in which he notes that we’re all in a band, in fact several bands of people and groups throughout our lifetime. This book entices us to examine what part we’re playing in each of those “bands”.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to Being a Rock Star

An aspiring musician, Albom played in bands throughout his adolescence and worked as a performer after college. When he took an interest in journalism in his early 20’s Albom returned to graduate school, earning a Master’s degree in Journalism, followed by an MBA. He turned full-time to his writing, eventually moving to Detroit, where he became a nationally-acclaimed sports journalist at the Detroit Free Press. His first book, Tuesdays with Morrie is the chronicle of time spent with his beloved professor. Albom wrote the book to help pay Morrie’s medical bills, and to his great surprise it spent four years on the New York Times Bestseller list. A succession of best sellers followed including, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, Have a Little Faith, The Time Keeper and The First Phone Call from Heaven. In his latest book, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Albom has merged his love of music and writing with his virtuoso main character’s Forest Gump-like romp through the music world.

You’re Invited

The community is invited to attend the Butterfly Luncheon and hear Mitch Albom on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at the Houstonian Hotel located at 111 North Post Oak Lane, Houston, Texas 77024. Registration begins at 11 a.m. Individual tickets and table reservations are available at www.houstonhospice.org or by calling 713-467-7423. Copies of The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto will be available for purchase and signing.

What It’s All AboutCharlieHoldingInfant-Mobile

Proceeds from the luncheon fund Houston Hospice operations and its Butterfly Program of pediatric hospice care. The Butterfly Program was developed in 1996 to meet the needs of children with life-limiting conditions. Through this program, a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice aides and volunteers with expertise in children’s care are devoted to caring for children and their families.

—Karla Goolsby, Houston Hospice Communication Specialist

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Interfaith Blessing of Hands for Texas Medical Center

Interfaith Blessing of Hands

Houston Hospice Cockrell Chapel
1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030
713-467-7423
Wednesday October 28, 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.

A Tradition in Many Cultures

Blessing of Hands is a tradition among many cultures and religions as well as in many medical institutions. The Texas Medical Center’s Houston Hospice believes this voluntary, nondenominational act recognizes and unites health care employees, volunteers and caregivers who have chosen the shared journey of caring for patients, directly and non-directly. Blessing of Hands is a spiritual exercise and prayer to honor those who give of themselves each day. Affirming their work through this blessing is meant to strengthen and renew their efforts.

Services are for all Texas Medical Center staff, volunteers and caregivers and last about 15 minutes. For more information about Blessing of the Hands services, contact Chaplain Gordon Robertson at 713-677- 7220.

—Karla Goolsby, Houston Hospice Communication Specialist

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Lessons from a Butterfly Family: Parenting a Dying Child


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National Hospice Month: Kathy Flinn and Tiffany Livanec

Kathy Flinn and Tiffany Livanec

Featured for National Hospice Month for the week of November 26 are Tiffany Livanec and Kathy Flinn. Tiffany is a Professional Relations Liaison and has been working at Houston Hospice El Campo office for five years. Kathy Flinn is the RN, PCM-IPU and has been working with Houston Hospice at the Texas Medical Center location for the past 14 years.

(Tiffany) What do you love most about working at Houston Hospice?
I love educating the community about hospice and knowing that many will have a much greater quality of life due to our efforts. 

 

(T) What draws you to your position?
My grandmother was on our services several years ago. The GIFT of hospice to our family is so dear to my heart that I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to work for such an amazing organization.

(T) What have you gained from working at Houston Hospice?
I have gained a greater appreciation for life, even less fear of death, and an increased faith!

(T) If you hadn’t become a Professional Relations Liaison, what might you have become?
If I weren’t called to be a liaison, I would like to be a chaplain.

(Kathy) What has been a pleasant discovery for you in the hospice community? 
Meeting the dedicated people who do this work because they perceive it as a”calling”… not just a job.

(K) What impact has hospice had on your life?
It reminds me that this life is temporary. It’s the next life that is really important.

(K) If you hadn’t become a nurse, what might you have done?
A travel journalist.

(K) Who was the person who most influenced you, and how?
Jane Sidwell.  She was PCM of the Inpatient Unit in 1996 when I oriented to my role as on-call nurse. I spent a 3-week rotation in the PCC (Patient Care Center) as it was called back then. Jane is the epitome of what I perceive to be an effective manager.

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National Hospice Month: Robynette Hall & Elizabeth Erwin

Robynette Hall & Elizabeth Erwin

 

Elizabeth Erwin & Robynette Hall share their hospice experiences for National Hospice Month. Robynette Hall has worked with Houston Hospice for the past five years as an RN for the On-call Team and works throughout the city.  Elizabeth Erwin, Senior Accountant has worked at Houston Hospice in the Texas Medical Center for the past 15 years.

 

 

(Elizabeth) What has been a pleasant discovery for you in the hospice community?
There are some who don’t know what hospice is all about and then there are others who look at me with admiration when they hear I work at Hospice.

(E) What draws you to your position?
I love Accounting!

(E) What have you gained from working at Houston Hospice?
Respect for what the nurses and doctors do on a daily basis. And let’s not forget the Finance staff who book and report the results of their work!

(E) If you hadn’t become a Senior Accountant, what might you have done?
Forest Ranger – I love nature – the backyard outside my window helps with the forestry side of my accounting!

(Robynette) What do you love most about working at Houston Hospice? 
I love the Team work and how much everyone truly cares for the patients and their families.  I also like how many Disciplines are involved taking care of our patients and their families.  It takes an army to care for them.

(R) What has been a pleasant discovery for you in the hospice community? 
This is where I belong, working Hospice and how rewarding it is to be able to help the patients and their families.  I feel truly blessed.

(R) What impact has hospice had on your life?  
The company is terrific and growing, the Team work has been the best I have ever witnessed and I feel everyone really cares about each other.  Knowing how much impact you have on the patients and families is a great reward unto itself.  As well as being able to work for one of the only nonprofit hospices in the Houston area.

(R) If you hadn’t become an RN, what might you have done? 
This is my third career and my second career move as a nurse.  I think I am hooked as a hospice nurse however.

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National Hospice Month: Sharon Hempler and Sonja Payne

Sharon Hempler and Sonja Payne

 Houston Hospice employees Sharon Hempler and Sonja Payne talk about their experiences at Houston Hospice for National Hospice Month. Sharon has been an RN-PCM on the Blue Team in the West Office for the past five years. Sonja Payne, Receptionist, at the Texas Medical Center location has been working with Houston Hospice for 20 years.

(Sharon) What has been a pleasant discovery for you in the hospice community?
Inspite of the difficulty of our work, we support & uplift each other.

(Sh) What impact has hospice had on your life?
Not only was I able to assist patients and families, but Houston Hospice supported me through my husband’s death.

(Sh) If you hadn’t become an RN-PCM, what might you have done?
If I hadn’t become a PCM, I would still be out seeing patients and families.

(Sh) Who was the person who most influenced you, and how?
Cheryl Holbert was my PCM and set a high standard for me to follow. She is knowledgeable and was a good mentor and teacher. Ruth Landauer was a friend of a friend who recommended Houston Hospice to me. She is a calming influence and supportive of staff and our clients.

(Sonja) What has been a pleasant discovery for you in the hospice community?
What has been a pleasant discovery for me is the spiritual bindings that hold me to Houston Hospice.  No matter how I look at my position here, I can always find myself spiritually connected to the organization. 

(So) What impact has hospice had on your life?
The impact hospice has had on my life is tremendous.  I am grateful for all the years and experience that I have endured here.  I don’t take hospice or the people here for granted. I am aware of other people’s feelings and believe everyone here at Houston Hospice is on a journey. 

(So) What have you gained from working at Houston Hospice?
Compassion and patience are two things I did not necessarily exude before coming to work here.  I knew about compassion and I had heard about patience. However, had I not come to work here I would probably not have gained either.  It prepared me for the grief I suffered in losing my brother and helped me support my family during our losses. Many of my friends and family say that I have two lives; one before hospice and the one I have now, after hospice.

(So) Who was the person who most influenced you, and how?
The person who influenced me the most at Houston Hospice would be Ruth Landauer, Director of Volunteers.  I learned from Ruth’s warmth and dedication from the very beginning.  She embraced me very delicately and made me feel ‘right at home’ on my very first day at hospice.

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Houston Hospice Capital Campaign

Houston Hospice Employee Capital Campaign Success

Over the past three months, Houston Hospice has embarked on an employee Capital Campaign to raise funds to build out the third floor of our inpatient unit, the Margaret Cullen Marshall Hospice Care Center, located at the Texas Medical Center. The success of the campaign is not measured by funds, but by employee participation. What’s important is to show that Houston Hospice employees support the Capital Campaign and that they are forming a community to show their support.

So far, Houston Hospice has 57% of all employees participating in the Capital Campaign. We are proud that more than half of our employees are recognizing the growth of Houston Hospice and are supporting this project. The eager responses from our employees have been overwhelming and touching. We feel very fortunate to have such a caring staff.

Once we reach a large majority of employee support, the Capital Campaign will open to outside donors and will apply for grants to contribute to the third floor build out. Once we start building, the project will take roughly six months to complete.

The need for a third floor at our inpatient care center is imperative. Many times, we have patients who are on a waiting list to enter our facility. A third floor would add an additional 12 rooms for our patients. With our continuing growth, Houston Hospice is finding a solution to provide more patients with the care they deserve.

We are proud and excited to know that our employees are onboard with the Capital Campaign. We hope our employee support continues to grow and that this project will be a large success. In the mean time, we feel very lucky and thankful to work for an organization that has a caring, passionate staff.

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