That old adage about the dynamic interplay of evolution and continuity has particular application to the experiences of Iowa City Hospice in the year 2000. The changes during the year, as described in this report, were dramatic. We said goodbye to one facility, hello to another. We were the beneficiaries of extraordinary expressions of generosity, creativity and energy. We met and worked with and for many new people. We were fortunate enough to embark upon several new strategic initiatives directly enhancing the quality of patient care. The feeling for the year was one of renewal, of reinvention, of progress.
But all of the excitement of change notwithstanding, perhaps the most impressive aspects of last year's experiences are those that remain immutable from year to year. In this regard, the simply stated Mission of Iowa City Hospice, "To provide patient-centered palliative care and services to anyone affected by a terminal illness" endures as the bedrock value upon which the organization is based and the polestar guiding all of its activities.
The other unchanging aspect of Hospice that is particularly worth noting is the fact that, while the care-giving services of the organization are delivered by an extremely competent and caring professional staff, the work of Hospice is, and always has been, assisted, facilitated and enhanced by the contributions, both of time and of money, by literally hundreds of volunteers. Their efforts make Hospice a resource of, by and for the community at large, the achievements of which breathtakingly exceed the sum of its individual inputs.
So, as I look forward to another year, in which there will no doubt be new challenges and new accomplishments, I do so with the absolute assurance that, in whatever direction fate takes us, we will succeed, because we know what we do and how we do it. In our case, the "same old song" is a hit. Let's sing it again in 2001.
Craig N. Willis, President
Iowa City Hospice honored our volunteers for their ongoing and strong support of hospice care at the Volunteer Recognition Dinner. All 200 volunteers were honored at the Event. Special mention also went to:
Ann Campbell. Ann was recognized for her care and presence in enhancing family and patient care over the past year. Ann, a Hospice volunteer since 1998, was awarded the Helen Zerwas Award.
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Jo Catalano. Jo was recognized for her ongoing support of Iowa City Hospice. Jo, a volunteer since 1994, works in the hospice office several mornings each week.
Marilyn Shannon. Marilyn was recognized for her support of the Bereavement Program. Marilyn became a Hospice Volunteer in 1995. |
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Richard, Judy, and Renee Hurtig. The Hurtigs were awarded The Ted Pacha Award for their philanthropic support of hospice care. Both Richard and Renee have served on the Hospice Board of Directors.
Craig N. Willis. Craig was awarded The Martha Lubaroff Award to honor his vision and advocacy of the hospice philosophy. Craig is currently the President of the Iowa City Hospice Board of Directors.
David Scholz. Dave was recognized for his efforts in raising community awareness of end-of-life care and Iowa City Hospice. Dave is currently the Chair of the Friends of Hospice.
Lensing Funeral and Cremation Services. The Lensings are always there for hospice -- supporting bereavement care, planning community education speakers and sponsoring, sponsoring, sponsoring!
The services Iowa City Hospice provides are supported by the work of 200 active volunteers. These volunteers, ranging in age from teens to senior citizens, contributed almost 7,000 hours of time in 2000 to make a difference to folks at the end of life and for their survivors, during the bereavement process.
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Lee and Mary Noel, Honorary Co-chairs of Mercy's Festival of Trees 2000, summed it up when they said, "Once in a while an opportunity comes your way that offers so many benefits it can't be passed by." That certainly was true when Mercy Iowa City named Iowa City Hospice as the beneficiary of the 2000 Festival of Trees. |
And, for Iowa City Hospice, the Noels' enthusiastic support of hospice care was an added gift. Lee and Mary spoke of their ties to Iowa City Hospice through the Event, "We celebrate the opportunity to heighten awareness of the purpose and good work of hospice, a service in which we deeply believe. Our dream is to know that Iowa City Hospice be fully supported and always there for the terminally ill and their families."
As beneficiaries, Iowa City Hospice was given a check for $50,000 from the Mercy Foundation Board. Craig N. Willis, Hospice Board President, expressed Hospice's gratitude, "On behalf of the Iowa City Hospice Board of Directors, on behalf of the Hospice staff and volunteers, but most of all on behalf of the patients of Hospice, I want to thank the Mercy Foundation for this most generous gift." One of the services Iowa City Hospice was able to add with Mercy's gift was bereavement care to youth and children. In Craig's thanks to the Mercy Foundation Board he explained this need, "Iowa City Hospice realizes that children have very special requirements in the grieving process, that need to be dealt with in ways slightly differently than are appropriate for adults. The money allocated will be applied to the professional services required."
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The Eleventh Hour Volunteer Program was recognized by both the Heritage Area Agency on Aging and The Office of the Governor for its outstanding contribution of volunteer service.
It is Iowa City Hospice's belief that no one should die alone unless that is his/her choice. The Eleventh Hour Volunteers make this possible. Over this last year, 20 patients received 140 hours of support through the program. |
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Iowa City Hospice held a ribbon tying ceremony to thank and honor Mercy Iowa City and those in the community who made our stay at the Hospice House at 613 Bloomington Street possible.
Mercy Iowa City Chief Executive officer, Ronald R. Reed, spoke of Mercy's support of the organization at the ceremony saying, "At Mercy we are proud to support Iowa City Hospice's mission of assisting the terminally ill to die with dignity. Hospice's mission is consistent with Mercy's approach to meeting patient's needs in the Iowa City area." |
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Iowa City Hospice moved to our new location at 1025 Wade Street on June 1st to accommodate the growth of the organization.
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Dick Corcoran a Hospice volunteer and founder of the Friends of Hospice served as Honorary Chairperson for the 2001 Walk for Dignity Events on April 22nd. Thanks to the hard work of over 1,000 individuals, sponsors and businesses, $100,000 was raised. All the funds raised go directly to support the mission of Hospice, which translates to over 800 days of patient care!
The 2002 Walk for Dignity will be held on April 21st. |
| On any given day in 2000, the staff and volunteers of Iowa City Hospice were serving 36 patients in Johnson, Cedar, Iowa, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine or Washington Counties. |
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Iowa City Hospice had the privilege to work with over 250 patients and their families. These individuals ranged in age from days to 100+ years and were admitted with a variety of diagnosis including cancer, lung heart, renal or neuromuscular disease, dementia, or birth defects. |
Iowa City Hospice cares for folks in their homes, long-term care facilities (nursing homes), in hospitals and in assisted living situations. And we have care for individuals who have no home. A primary caregiver is not required for admission to Iowa City Hospice.
Although Hospice care is available to anyone with a prognosis of 6 months or less, the average time a patient was under Iowa City Hospice's care was 61 days; the median length of stay was 26 days. Remarkably, Iowa City Hospice's patients are with us longer than the national average, 46 days.
Anyone can make a referral to Iowa City Hospice. Admission to Iowa City Hospice is appropriate when an individual's condition is diagnosed as terminal and the patient decides to move from a treatment plan focused on curing the disease to a plan focused on providing comfort and pain relief.
Iowa City Hospice covers the cost of care for all services, equipment and drugs related of the patient's terminal condition. Most insurance companies pay a dollar amount per day for care, regardless of the needs of the patient or the care provided. For those with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, an average of 20% of their expenses were paid for by community funds. For those without insurance coverage, 100% of their end-of-life care was provided due to the generosity of the community.
