Blessing Hospice earns advanced status in national veterans’ care program

QUINCY — Blessing Hospice has strengthened its ability to meet the end-of-life care needs of area veterans by advancing within the national “We Honor Veterans” program. Blessing joined the program in 2013 as a Level 1 Partner and has now attained Level 3 Partner status in the five-tiered program.

Blessing Hospice provides nationally accredited, home-based end-of-life care to the terminally ill and their loved ones, including pain and symptom control and emotional and spiritual support. Care is available in Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties and portions of Henderson County.

We Honor Veterans is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides tiered recognition to organizations, known as partners, that demonstrate a systematic commitment to improving care for veterans. Partners assess their ability to serve veterans and, using resources provided as part of the program, integrate into their organization best practices from around the country for providing end-of-life care to veterans.

Veterans at the end of life can have special needs due to post traumatic stress disorder, environmental exposures and the influence of military culture.

In a press release, Kristi Gillette, medical director of Blessing Hospice, said, “Understanding the special needs of veterans and the ways to effectively address them can provide a veteran with a higher quality of remaining life physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

Gillette says the Blessing Hospice team is working to meet the requirements to attain Level 4 status.