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Four Seasons eNewsOur Newsletter and press releases Four Seasons to Hold Annual Golf Tournament
Four Seasons to Hold Annual Golf Tournament Registration is $180 per player and includes greens fees, golf cart, gifts, lunch and dinner. There will be a raffle with prizes from local businesses. Sponsorships are still available. All proceeds benefit Four Seasons programs, which include hospice, palliative care, research and Elizabeth House. For registration information, call or e-mail Stephanie Dylewski at 828-692-6178 Ext. 135 or sdylewski@fourseasonscfl.org. Michelle Webb promoted to Vice President of Clinical Operations at Four Seasons
Michelle Webb promoted to Vice President of Clinical Operations at Four SeasonsMichelle Webb has accepted the position of vice president of clinical operations at Four Seasons, the non-profit end-of-life care agency serving Western North Carolina. She has been with the agency for six years, and has previously held positions of staff nurse, nursing team leader and director of clinical services at the Elizabeth House. She recently held the position of vice president of clinical services with responsibility for the clinical operations of the Elizabeth House, the Admissions Department, Crisis Care and the support team. As the vice president of clinical operations, Webb will oversee all the clinical aspects of care at Four Seasons. Webb brings over 30 years of clinical and leadership experience to this position. She has experience in acute care, home health and mental health. In addition, she has been a nurse consultant and a nursing educator. Four Seasons is one of the most respected end-of-life care specialists in the country. Since 1981, Four Seasons has provided a high level of compassionate and professional care for people facing serious life-limiting illness in Western North Carolina. It is a non-profit organization led by a dedicated team of health care professionals, social workers, spiritual care professionals and volunteers. Livability
Four Seasons Preparing for 7th Annual Children's Bereavement Camp
Four Seasons Preparing Four Seasons will host its 7th Annual Camp Heart Songs at Falling Creek Camp in Zirconia, NC, on Saturday, August 21st, 2010. Children (ages 6-14 years) who have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling or other loved one are eligible to attend. The focus of the camp’s activities is to promote healthy expressions of grief and learn to share and empathize with other peers who have had similar grief experiences. Professional bereavement counselors, chaplains, social workers, hospice volunteers and staff lead the support groups and cooperative activities to guide the children as they learn new coping skills and build self-esteem and confidence. Some favorite activities include swimming, sharing time with trained and certified therapy dogs and cheering for each other as they take turns climbing the 80-foot rock wall. The event provides breakfast and lunch during a fun-filled day which culminates with milk and cookies at the end of the day. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend a support group session in the afternoon led by a hospice bereavement counselor who provides child grief education and the opportunity to share and receive support from the group. Immediately following will be a memorable closing ceremony with a video of the camp day, a sing-a-long and butterfly release with the children and their families. For more information about Camp Heart Songs please call the Bereavement Department at Four Seasons at 233-0334.
Life Lines June 2010
Four Seasons Offers Grief Support Groups
Four Seasons Offers Grief Support Groups Four Seasons will offer a Grieving Parent Support Group on Wednesday, June 9 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at their office, 571 South Allen Road in Flat Rock. A Men’s Grief Support Group will meet on Tuesday, June 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please call the Four Seasons’ bereavement department at 828-233-0307 to register or for more information.
Four Seasons Offers Grief Support Groups
Four Seasons Offers Grief Support Groups Four Seasons will offer “Grief 101” on Wednesday, May 12, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. The group is for anyone dealing with grief related to the death of a family member, partner, friend, loved one. A Grieving Parents Support Group meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 5 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. A Grief Support Group will meet on Wednesday, May 19, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., and will include four sessions on consecutive Wednesdays. All of the above meetings will be held at Four Seasons, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC. Please call 828-233-0307 to register or for more information.
"Opening Night on Broadway" Auction and Gala to Benefit Four Seasons - Compassion for Life
“Opening Night on Broadway” Auction and Gala
The auction features many fabulous items and packages, including local artists’ wares. Everyone is invited to this evening of fun and festivities, but reservations are required. Cost is $100 per person or $150 per couple. For more information or reservations, please contact Anne Marie Scherbarth, event coordinator, at 233-0319. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the programs and services of Four Seasons, the non-profit end-of-life care organization serving Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania Counties.
Four Seasons Honors Volunteers and Jean Hoogstra at Volunteer Reception
Four Seasons Honors Volunteers Four Seasons celebrated National Volunteer Week on April 20th at Blue Ridge Community College with the 19th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Reception honoring over 370 dedicated volunteers. At the event, Jean Moulthrop Hoogstra, Four Seasons founder and matriarch, was recognized for her 30 years of volunteering. She spoke to the nearly 130 volunteers in attendance about the importance of volunteering and what Four Seasons has meant to her. Staff members surprised her by unveiling a new sign for the agency on South Allen Road: Four Seasons - The Jean Moulthrop Hoogstra Community Campus. Four Seasons volunteers’ contributions of time and talent have served over 1,100 hospice patients during the past year. In 2009, they donated 29,983 hours for an estimated cost savings of $607,156. Four Seasons volunteers perform a wide variety of jobs, from sitting at the bedside of a patient to data entry, from working at the Hospice Home Store to sewing hundreds of gowns and pillows. Volunteers work on the Board of Directors, provide landscaping to the Elizabeth House gardens and help with several annual fund-raising events. They stuff envelopes, provide respite to care givers, educate our community about hospice and palliative care, help with our children’s grief camp and work at our inpatient facility, Elizabeth House. Volunteers do not need a medical background - they come from all walks of life.
If you are interested in joining the Four Seasons volunteer team or want to hear about other ways to help, call Donna Nawrocki at 828-692-6178.
T-N EDITORIAL: Hospice among best in the US
The good reasons for living in Henderson County cover birth to death. Young families enjoy good schools, a safe community and unbeatable outdoor recreation. The medical care for a community our size is exceptional. It sounds indelicate to say so, but our mountain town also is a good place to die. Patients and families who take advantage of the compassionate care and expertise offered by Four Seasons Hospice find an easier path in the final stage of life. Admired and praised locally for 28 years, Four Seasons last month added the imprimatur of the American Hospital Association to its achievements of service. Four Seasons was one of only three providers nationally to win the Circle of Life award, and the only one that provides hospice and palliative care services. Four Seasons serves about 230 patients in its hospice program. The palliative care program provides pain management and home-based care for about 400 seriously ill patients. The 19-bed Elizabeth House provides in-patient care, sometimes to patients going from the hospital to their homes and sometimes for the final days of life, relieving families of the burden of 24-hour care. Four Seasons earned the Circle of Life award for its leadership, high quality of care, innovation and research. People raise their eyebrows when they hear of research in end-of-life care, but President/CEO Chris Comeaux says many terminal patients have welcomed the opportunity. "They feel like they're paying it forward to future generations by participating in these trials," he said. The national health care reform debate has distorted what should be a rational and dispassionate discussion of end-of-life choices. The choices should never be made by government or by insurance companies, and hospice providers would never assert that they should. The decision on end-of-life options should be left with the patient and his or her family — guided by trusted counselors, clergy and medical providers. A respected study of Medicare costs shows that the Asheville region is among the most efficient providers in the nation, and within the region, Pardee Hospital ranks among the most efficient in Medicare delivery. One factor that holds down excessive and ineffective spending in the last six months of life is use of hospice. According to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, 38.6 percent of Medicare patients at Pardee in the last six months of life were enrolled in hospice, a percentage much higher than the national average. A more astonishing figure still is that Four Seasons serves 75 percent of the deaths in Henderson County, one of the highest proportions in the country. We don't usually think of death when we talk about the quality of life in Hendersonville and the surrounding area. Yet, mortality being the common certainty for us all, it is comforting to know that an organization right here is among the best in the nation at easing people through the final stage of life's journey with compassion and dignity. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission of BlueRidgeNow.com Times-News Online. Links are encouraged.
Four Seasons Receives Circle of Life Award
President/CEO Chris Comeaux and representative Four Seasons staff members Nikki Granere, CNA; Eunice Frady, clinical nurse coordinator; Jane McKown, chaplain; and Rikki Nugent, nurse practitioner, travelled to San Francisco to receive the award. AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock said of the award recipients, “Dealing with life-threatening illness and end-of-life decisions is difficult for all involved, and the Circle of Life honorees understand that respect, compassion, and honesty are vital aspects of palliative care.” On Tuesday, August 18, Richard H Wade, senior vice president for strategic communications, from the American Hospital Association visited Four Seasons to re-present the award in front of a gathering of staff, volunteers, and the community. Chris Comeaux said, “The Circle of Life Award acknowledges that we are one of the best end-of-life care providers in the country. We will continue to live up to that expectation in all our interactions with patients, families and community partners. We are entering a very challenging time in healthcare where there are many unknowns. Our goal is to not just preserve, but to further our mission and vision.” Four Seasons was chosen to receive the award along with Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore., and Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis, Ind., from about 50 nominations submitted from around the country. The selection committee included leaders from medicine, nursing, social work and health administration. The committee visited programs that respect patient goals and preferences, provide comprehensive care, acknowledge and address that family or caregivers’ concerns and build systems and mechanisms of support that ensure the programs continue. Four Seasons and the other programs selected service as innovative models for other communities as well. Four Seasons has a multi-disciplinary approach to improving patients physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being. The organization was founded over 25 years ago at the beginning of the hospice movement. In 2002, the board of directors made the decision to take the organization to the next level, and as a result, the organization now cares for over 2,200 people on a yearly basis with a full range of hospice and palliative care, research and bereavement services. With community support, Four Seasons grew from serving 26 percent of all deaths in its area to 76 percent. The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities.
Four Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care To Have New Logo
Four Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care has upgraded their look and name to more accurately reflect the many services that the agency offers. The organization has a new logo and a new tagline: “Compassion for Life.” Agency staff continues to be dedicated to providing all of its service areas with the best end-of–life care in Western North Carolina. The main services offered by Four Seasons include hospice, palliative care, research, and the Elizabeth House, their in-patient facility. Four Seasons is the leading non-profit provider of hospice and palliative care services in the state of North Carolina, serving almost 70% of the deaths in its service area.
Life Lines Archives Life Lines, a quarterly publication affirming life, is published in the Hendersonville Times-News and the Asheville Citizen Times. It is available at local doctor’s offices and businesses as well. Please click on the links below to read our archived issues.
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Flat Rock and Forest City— Chris Comeaux, CEO of Four Seasons in Flat Rock, NC and Rita Burch, Ex-ecutive Director of Hospice of Rutherford County in Forest City, NC announced a joint venture be-tween their respective organizations to help people in Western North Carolina live in their own homes for as long as possible. The collaborative effort called Livability, LLC, is a consulting and retrofitting business that specializes in universal design concepts for home safety and accessibility.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) awarded the prestigious Circle of Life Award to Four Seasons of Flat Rock, NC, in a ceremony on July 24 in San Francisco. Four Seasons was one of only three programs nationwide recognized for expanding the reach of palliative and end-of-life care in its area.