On September 21 2014, I perceived a Hospice Center as a place where people are sent to die. The day after, I had the opportunity to visit a community-based organization known as Hospice and Palliative Center, located on 101 Hospice Lane in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. My colleagues, Jazmine Brown and Chantel Coltrane had the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful experience as well. When Jazmine and I first arrived at Hospice and Palliative Center, we were a little nervous until we were welcomed with open arms by the Quality and Compliance Officer, Dianne Linville.
Ms. Linville opened up the conversation by stating that the center consisted of 40 bedrooms. I immediately felt concern and ask questions. I asked Ms. Linville was there a waiting list for individuals who may be in need of the care and services that they provided. My next concerned was will they be able to receive those services due to limited space and healthcare disparities. Ms. Linville stated that “sometimes individuals are put on a wait list and sometimes rooms are available”. In other words, a waiting list is not required and services will be provided. She also stated that they serve 13 other counties as well as individuals in their own home. I was excited to hear that kind of response because it allowed me to understand that accessibility was not a problem in their facility. Another important topic that helped me understand that accessibility was not an issue, was the way their care and services was financed. Hospice take payments through donations (nonprofit), Medicaid, Medicare, as well as out of pocket pay. This allow the patients who may struggle financially to be able to still receive services. Due to their care and services being easy accessible, it reminded me of criteria number two from long-term care system which allowed me to comprehend that certain needs are being met. Next, Ms. Linville led us to a room where we saw our colleague Chantel Coltrane along with two women waiting with a smile. Ms. Marshall, Director of Nursing greeted us as soon as we walked in. This uplifted my spirit and created a positive vibe throughout the day. When I first arrived, I expected to come in and receive a boring lecture. I was wrong. The information and stories that was shared was very informative and relative for my life. She had a positive attitude which you could tell that she is passionate about her job. I was impressed and expected the other employees to have the same characteristics that she showed.
Afterwards, Ms. Marshall gave my colleagues and I a brief overview of when the center first begin and how she knew that Hospice and Palliative Center was a place that she wanted to be a part of for a long time. The way she carried herself and delivered significant information regarding the residents and the center gave me a visual image on what it will be like to be a part of Hospice and Palliative Center. Ms. Marshall then explained that the center is not a place where people are sent to die, but a place where individuals go with symptoms that causes distress and are cured. Ms. Marshall also asked if we were aware of what “level of care” was. I responded by explaining to her that in some of our healthcare management classes, we learned that level of care depends on the healthcare services that are needed by prospective resident. Being knowledgeable of the topics that she was talking about made me feel great about the education I was receiving at Winston-Salem State University. She then explained that the Hospice and Palliative Center consisted of four levels of care. The four levels of care consist of: general inpatient care, respite, transitional and continuously level of care. I learned that respite care is usually for the caregivers who