Coastal Hospice Earns Level Three Status for Veterans Care February 10, 2021 The coastal office of Samaritan Evergreen Hospice is moving rapidly through the partnership levels in the nationwide program called We Honor Veterans, which is designed to empower hospice professionals to meet the unique needs of dying veterans. The coastal team achieved the program’s level three status just half a year after having achieved level two. “We are strongly motivated to move through the steps because we know how important it is for veterans to receive compassionate care that is responsive to their unique needs,” said Theresa Karlik, RN, manager of Samaritan’s coastal hospice team. “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, Karlik’s team provides hospice care to patients throughout Lincoln County and into Tillamook County. To obtain level three status, they had to accomplish several steps related to staff and volunteer education and programs; community education; organizational policies and procedures; and hospice/veteran partnerships. Kyle Hatch represents Samaritan Evergreen Hospice through his oversight of the Samaritan Veterans Outreach program. He has developed strong connections between Samaritan and veterans’ organizations throughout the region and state to further the goal of providing exceptional care to patients who are veterans. The Samaritan Evergreen Hospice program in the valley – which is based in Albany to serve Benton, Linn, Marion and Polk counties – has already achieved level four status, demonstrating its commitment to increasing access and quality of care for 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.
