Chelsea Beights, Author at Peterson Health

Peterson Hospice Hosts Spring Memorial to Honor Loved Ones

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Hospice hosted the Annual Spring Memorial Thursday, April 18t at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville, Texas. Approximately 60 community members attended the memorial with another dozen watching the livestream on YouTube. The heartfelt service included the names of 125 loved ones who are no longer with us.

Gretchen Rye, Peterson Home Based Services Community Outreach shares, “Those who we have lost live on in our memories, as their impact is often greater than the time we have together. The memorial service allows us to reflect on these relationships and allocate time and space to honor them. We read names, light candles, and reflect on the connections we share with each other. We recognize that grief is not something that only affects us for a set amount of time, it is something that changes us. We honor the impact those lives have had on us and in recognizing this growth within us. We invite the community to honor those they love in the same way.”

Peterson Hospice is called to serve others with exceptional, compassionate, patient-centered care at end-of-life. As the only 5-star rated Hospice agency in the Hill Country by CMS, Peterson Hospice is dedicated to the highest quality of care.

To view the Spring Memorial on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXYCZ80jOsw.

For information about our Hospice services or becoming a volunteer, call 830.258.7799.

Peterson Health Named Top Rural Hospital by The Leapfrog Group

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Health was named a Top Rural Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, a prestigious award widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive recognitions American hospitals can receive. The Leapfrog Group is a national watchdog organization known as the toughest standard-setters for healthcare safety and quality. Top Hospitals were honored on December 5th at the 2023 Leapfrog Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized by The Leapfrog Group for this achievement. Safety, quality outcomes, and patient experience drive everything we do at Peterson, and this award reinforces that when you do the right thing for the right reasons great things happen,” said Cory Edmondson, President and CEO of Peterson Health. “This achievement is a result of the entire team across all areas of the organization, with our medical staff playing a key role. It would not be possible without the support of this community, our donors who help us with capital to provide world-class care, and the local leaders who volunteer their time and talents as board members. This is the crown jewel of a long list of awards and accolades, and I could not be prouder of our team.”

More than 2,100 hospitals were considered for the award. A total of 132 Top Hospitals were selected, including eight Top Children’s, 25 Top General, 15 Top Rural, and 74 Top Teaching hospitals. Quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the rigorous qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors.

“Protecting patients from preventable harm is the cornerstone of The Leapfrog Group’s mission,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Peterson Health has demonstrated that patient safety is their top priority, and we’re truly pleased to recognize them as a Top Hospital this year. Congratulations to hospital staff at all levels who made this national recognition possible.”

To qualify for the distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety and achieve top performance in their category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2023 Top Hospitals, visit www.LeapfrogGroup.org/TopHospitals.

12th Annual Tree of Lights to Benefit Hospice Blessing Fund

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Hospice will host the 12th Annual Tree of Lights event Thursday, November 30th at the Home Based Services Building located at 250 Cully Drive. The event will begin at 5:30pm with a come-and-go social and tree lighting at 6:15pm.

The Tree of Lights event is a time to honor our loved ones who are no longer with us and presents the opportunity for individuals in the community to donate to the Peterson Hospice Blessing Fund. Peterson Hospice Blessing Fund has provided assistance to more than 350 patients and their families over the past 10 years. It is funded solely through generous donations and is distributed to Hospice patients through committee oversight. The Blessing Fund has allowed us to provide a variety of services ranging from big ticket items to less expensive needs, resulting in enhanced quality of life for patients and their families.

“This campaign is highlighted around the holidays each year because we believe the joy and peace it brings our patients is truly the best gift,” shares Gretchen Rye, Peterson Home Based Services Community Outreach. “Our patients have needs that go beyond medical care – whether it’s a haircut that makes the patient feel like themselves, an installed dog door to aid with care of a beloved pet, or help with a utility bill – this assistance supports Hospice patients and their families through rough times.”

As the only non-profit Hospice in the Hill Country, Peterson Hospice turns no one away from compassionate care. With generous support of the Blessing Fund, Peterson is able to help patients in ways no one else does. We treat the whole patient, allowing every person receiving Hospice services to achieve elevated quality of life in their remaining days.

In addition to hosting the in-person Tree of Lights event, Peterson Hospice will honor the light of our loved ones by creating the Remembrance Grove outside of the Home Based Services Building. The Remembrance Grove will light up every night at sunset, and the light display will be available for viewing November 18, 2023 through January 5, 2024.

For information about Peterson Hospice or becoming a volunteer, visit PetersonHealth.com/Hospice or call 830.258.7799.

Peterson Hospice Delivers Veteran-Centric Care to Kerrville Community

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Hospice is proud to announce its initiation of the journey to a Level 5 Partner with We Honor Veterans (WHV), a program developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Level 5 is the highest level WHV partners can attain and includes several new required activities and yearly recertification.

Currently as a Level 4 partner, Peterson Hospice is providing specialized care to Veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness. Aside from existing partner requirements, Level 5 partners place a greater emphasis on staff education and caring for Vietnam-era and combat Veterans. Additionally, Level 5 partners take on the role of regional mentor to other WHV partners working to enhance their programs.

“Peterson Hospice is kicking off this Level 5 journey by hosting a Veteran Mail Call at local nursing facilities. We have collected letters written by local junior high students from Comfort, Bandera, Ingram, and Fredericksburg to the Veterans to distribute,” says Gretchen Rye, Community Outreach at Peterson Home Based Services. “Our hospice volunteers have bundled the letters, bounded them with patriotic ribbon, and labeled them by name and branch to be called during the presentation. Our goal is to create a nostalgic mail call to honor those who have served and to create an opportunity for local students to learn about Veterans and their service.”

NHPCO created the Level 5 program to truly showcase the efforts needed to go above and beyond. Not only do partners demonstrate their commitment, but they continue to help shape the program and serve as an example of what all hospice partners should strive to be.

NHPCO and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to address the growing need for Veteran-centered care, especially as Veterans are aging and need access to palliative and hospice care.

Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program and Peterson Hospice.

Peterson Health Earns ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Health earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Peterson Health is dedicated to providing care that is safe and improves patient outcomes,” says Elaine Ivey, Director of Quality Services. “We are thrilled to be recognized as an ‘A’ rated hospital by The Leapfrog Group because it reflects our commitment to safety and quality. We are extremely proud of our entire Peterson Team for their commitment to safety and earning this top score.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.

“Earning an ‘A’ Grade means Peterson Health made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”

To see Peterson Health’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Celebrating National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

Kerrville, TX – Throughout the month of November, Peterson Hospice will be joining organizations across the nation in hosting community activities recognizing National Hospice and Palliative Care Month (HAPCM). This year’s HAPCM theme is “Courageous Conversations.”

For more than 40 years, hospice has helped provide interdisciplinary, supportive care to millions of people, allowing them to spend their final months wherever they call home and surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice teams craft plans of care that ensure pain management, therapies, and treatments all center on the patients’ and their loved ones’ goals and wishes. Hospice care also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief support for up to a year.

“National Hospice and Palliative Care Month provides an opportunity for patients, providers, and community members alike to engage in advance care planning and other important discussions about the care they wish to receive when facing a serious illness before the time of crisis,” said Ben Marcantonio, COO and interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). We believe everyone deserves a good death, and the way to get there is through courageous conversations.”

Each year, more than one million Medicare beneficiaries receive care from hospices across the United States. When a patient is not eligible for hospice care, they may benefit from community-based palliative care, often offered by hospice providers. Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness also involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs while facilitating patient autonomy through access to information and choice.

“When you engage in courageous conversations about end of life with your loved ones, it allows validation not only for their wishes at end of life, but also a beautiful conversation about what matters the most to them,” says Gretchen Rye, Community Outreach Coordinator for Peterson Hospice. “These conversations can be difficult to initiate, but November is a natural time to discuss gratitude and grace in a season of change. It was a gift my parents gave to me sharing what mattered to them at the end, and when the time came, I knew they were being cared for in the way they desired. It changed the dynamic from being a burden to a loving gift.”

More information about hospice, palliative care, and advance care planning is available at PetersonHealth.com or on NHPCO’s website at CaringInfo.org.

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Peterson Hospice Hosts Spring Memorial to Honor Loved Ones

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