Coastal Hospice Achieves Level Four In Veterans Partnership November 30, 2022 The coastal office of Samaritan Evergreen Hospice has achieved level four in the nationwide program called We Honor Veterans, once again demonstrating its commitment to providing quality end-of-life care to military veterans. “We know how important it is for veterans to receive compassionate care that is responsive to their unique needs,” said Theresa Karlik, RN, interim director of Samaritan Evergreen Hospice. “This program sets guidelines and expectations that help us to achieve best care practices for our patients who are veterans.” Because military veterans have unique physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs that can impact their end-of-life care, the We Honor Veterans program provides educational tools and resources to hospice organizations at no charge. Based in Newport, Samaritan’s coastal team has provided hospice care as a nonprofit serving patients throughout Lincoln County and into Tillamook County since 1987. What Is the WHV Partnership? To obtain level four status, the team had to move through the previous three levels, taking steps related to staff and volunteer education and programs; community education; organizational policies and procedures; and hospice/veteran partnerships. Finally, in level four, the hospice team demonstrated that it has increased access and improved quality of care for veterans in the community. The Samaritan Evergreen Hospice program in the valley – which is based in Albany to serve patients in Benton, Linn, Marion and Polk counties – has already achieved level four status. Samaritan Evergreen Hospice partners with the Samaritan Veterans Outreach program to develop strong connections between Samaritan and veterans’ organizations throughout the region and state, furthering the goal of providing exceptional care to patients who are veterans. We Honor Veterans is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The program empowers hospice professionals by teaching respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgement in providing end-of-life care. Learn more. For information about Samaritan’s hospice services, visit samhealth.org/Hospice.
