Sherry Pelchen – RN, We deliver

Sherry was helping to treat a young patient who was very sick. Early one morning Sherry picked up the morphine bag for this patient and was going to bring it to her house so her husband could hook it up to the morphine drip she used on a daily basis. Before Sherry could get to the house the husband called. He said his wifewas having a “good day” and she had decided to go to the mall to enjoy it with her close friend. While the patient was at the mall her morphine pump started to beep, a warning that the morphine was almost gone. Her husband was panicked because he didn’t want the morphine to run out and he didn’t want to have to pick up his wife early; she was finally having fun. Sherry said that she would immediately go and meet the husband at the mall to deliver the bag personally. She made it to the mall and the patient’s husband was able to replace the bag before she experienced any discomfort. The patient continued with her friend and had a wonderful day. It just so happened that it was the last time she was able to visit the mall.

Giving the biggest gift of all

Lourdes Guerra-Lines

Annmarie Duggan

In 2009, Lourdes was introduced to a new patient of ours through social worker Annmarie Duggan. The young woman, who was in her early 30’s, was in one of our inpatient care centers. She had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer. She had been in an area hospital for 100 days before she was admitted to our hospice program. As Lourdes met with her, she learned about her illness, her wishes and her family. Turns out, her family was in Mexico and the patient’s one wish was to get home to Mexico to be with her family. With no money and her current immigration status, it was not going to be easy. Lourdes and Annmarie, wanting to do all they could to make this wish come true, began working out a plan. They enlisted the help of many other Hospice of Palm Beach County staff members, a local church, the Mexican Embassy and Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation. With all of the support, they finalized details of her plan to get home. They had nurses working to help her gain her strength, a Mexican hospital to care for her when she arrived, transportation to the hospital, medication to last for two weeks and her father to accompany her home. On the day the patient was scheduled to leave, her nurses ensured her bandages – from the previous surgeries she had – were changed and secured for the trip, changed her into loose fitting scrubs, and provided her with the equipment and supplies she would need. They explained to her father, in Spanish, the only language he spoke, how to change her dressings and administer her medications while Lourdes was arranging an ambulance transport to the airport. The patient landed in Mexico later that afternoon, 18 days after she began our hospice program, and was able to spend time in her country, with her family before she passed away.

Beleaguered Nurses Need Empowerment

As a nursing leader at a large health care organization, I feel the way to change the trend of Florida losing nurses to other states or other industries is to help nurses, whether at the bedside or in a management position, feel empowered to get involved in solving problems and creating solutions.

To combat the shortage and hold on to our nurses, we at Hospice of Palm Beach County have created ways to delegate the workload so it is even across the care team. Staff workgroups conduct SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis and address problems identified by clinicians and patients. This has encourages our nurses to act and truly become leaders, which is especially important in a hospice setting where the role of the interdisciplinary team is essential to providing quality patient care. This "shared care" philosophy has maximized quality care and reduced work stress.

Our teams have embraced this new philosophy and it is making an incredible difference in promoting nurse and staff retention in the hospice industry. While factors such as competitive pay and manageable case loads are important, they are not the sole decision-makers for engaged nurses committed to providing quality patient care. We need to recognize the other factors and do what we can to hold on to these valuable professionals.

Jacqueline Lopez-Devine
Registered Nurse and Vice President of Patient Services
Hospice of Palm Beach County

A Man with No Name Remembered - a Humble Eulogy for our Friend Pedro

"As a hospice chaplain I have a sacred trust placed upon me. By connecting a patient to their faith community, listening to their spiritual needs and responding according to their faith tradition, a chaplain can foster comfort and especially, help dispel fear."
~ Joe McNett


by Joe McNett, Hospice of Palm Beach County Chaplain

Those who work on the clinical side of hospice come into contact with hundreds of patients each year, not to mention their family members. Whereas all our patients receive our best care, there are certain ones we seem to grow attached to a little more than the others. It may be they remind us of someone we knew or quite possible it's our compassion for their extremely difficult circumstances. Pedro was one of those patients.

As best we can tell, he emigrated from Puerto Rico and worked with a landscaping company for years. Although he was a hard worker, his physical condition began taking its toll.

Pedro came to us from a rundown trailer he was renting by himself and immediately began winning our hearts. He had a tracheotomy which prevented most verbal communication. However, Pedro would communicate with hand gestures and facial expressions that would put a veteran charades player to shame. Despite his slow decline and physical difficulties, Pedro was constantly roaming the halls and taking walks outside, which brought him into contact with almost all of the inpatient staff over the months. The one thing we could always count on was a smile or salute from him. Even when he was hurting, he still shared that smile.

As our social workers began working on his case, they were especially vexed as to his real name and identity. They found that he had assumed another name in order to survive in the states and had paid his taxes under it for over a decade. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts we were never really able to find out who he was. Pedro's memory was ravaged and he could only recall random bits and pieces. Even the name he said was his own had no corroborating evidence. Additionally, there were no family or friends to care for him, visit, or even claim him when he died.

That is the main reason for my writing this account. Pedro had no one. He spent months in our inpatient unit and we ended up feeling like his family. We cared for him and loved him. Pedro passed away just before midnight on a Tuesday evening. Although there was no one to claim him then... we do now.

This letter is a humble eulogy, not as much for his accomplishments, but more about who he was and what he meant to us. Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation has graciously donated a memorial brick in memory of Pedro. Many of the staff will be contributing money towards it, despite the gift, and will be gathering for a memorial service in memory of Pedro. Furthermore, all the inpatient staff will be signing their names on the bottom and sides to symbolize the care and support for our friend. The brick will be placed outside on the sidewalk that he traveled so much, enjoying the outdoors while he was with us.

So this letter and the memorial brick are a lasting remembrance for our friend, Pedro. He will always be in our hearts. Moreover, he is an example of so many other patients who need someone to care for them at the end of life.

Discovering a Calm Place Amid Healthcare Confusion

Every day it's becoming more apparent that healthcare is an issue that we all must address. We read about it online or in the paper, hear about it in the news and it's the hot topic in our nation's capital. And because of all the disparate opinions from experts to coffee shop politicians, it's confusing and fluid - a maelstrom of issues changing almost daily depending upon who is doing the talking.

But there is one segment of the local healthcare industry that remains a calming force and is there for you - that is Hospice of Palm Beach County (HPBC). Regardless of race, religion, politics or your ability to pay, the members of Hospice of Palm Beach County work tirelessly to make certain that patients and families receive the treatment, programs and respect they deserve to enrich their quality of life.

Since its founding in 1978 as a not-for-profit facility, Hospice of Palm Beach County cares for an average of 1,050 patients on a daily basis. Building relationships is a passion for all the employees, and their care extends throughout the county, encompassing all facets of the community. Services are offered at the patient's home, in an extended care facility or a hospital - wherever the patient and family decide is best for them.

These services and programs are provided by a hospice physician, that patients primary physician and a group of certified nursing assistants, social workers, therapists, spiritual care counselors, bereavement counselors and volunteers - all working as one to comfort and treat the patient and their family.

Programs available at Hospice of Palm Beach County focus not only upon the patient but the family members and caregivers, too. Patients can choose from Integrative Therapies such as palliative massage, Reiki, aromatherapy, imagery work, relaxation training and music therapy. Family members are invited, and most welcome, the opportunity to speak to counselors, social workers and anyone on the team who can assist them in their time of need.

Caregivers, especially those family members who are caring for their loved one, face many physical, spiritual and emotional trials. That is why Hospice of Palm Beach County devotes many programs to aid them during this period. Resources and educational materials, a support system through education, advocacy and spiritual guidance and a forum where caregivers can share their stories and experiences with one another is readily available, regardless if the patient is receiving care from HPBC.

If a caregiver and patient decide to seek care from Hospice of Palm Beach County, then they will receive their own Personal Support Team of interdisciplinary professionals, 24/7 access to hospice staff for care and support, an individual plan of care that is customized to fit the unique needs and wishes of the patient and family, house calls and more.

When care for the patient has ended, Hospice of Palm Beach County shifts to its next responsibility. Their bereavement services act as a healing mechanism that not only benefits adults, but also the children of the family. Camp SeaStar for instance, along with other school based bereavement programs, are designed to aid kids ages 5 through 18. As you can see, at Hospice of Palm Beach County the surviving family is not forgotten - they are embraced.

In a time rife with moral issues and conflicting views, it's comforting to know that there is one place that any person in the county can go to when they are in need of care. So, if you are facing some difficult healthcare decisions and not sure where to turn, remember, there is no confusion - Hospice of Palm Beach County is there for you.

For more information on the programs and services of Hospice of Palm Beach County, please call (561) 848-5200 or visit www.hpbc.com.

A Cut Above

It takes a special kind of doctor to care for patients at the end of their lives. Hospice of Palm Beach County is fortunate to have those doctors.

From Boca Raton to Tequesta, Belle Glade to the beach, their physicians bring compassion and peace of mind to dying patients. Whether at home or at Hospice facilities around Palm Beach County, Hospice doctors administer the special care patients and their families need at this critical time. They use words like "passion" and "gratification" and "rewarding" to describe their Hospice service.

Dr. Barry Miskin, Assistant Medical Director of the Orange Team for Hospice of Palm Beach County who also cares for patients at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and is a trained surgeon, says, "I feel I really make a difference. I help. They are dying and we can't change that. I can be their rock, their calm in the storm. We take away people's pain and their fear."

They counter the perceptions that ministering to dying patients is a depressing task. "It's the most amazing thing I've done," Dr. Miskin says. "My life is so much richer because of what I do. I feel terrific that I'm here to help."

Dr. Antonio Mendez, Assistant Medical Director at Hospice of Palm Beach County and internist who practices in Belle Glade, also spends time caring for end-of-life patients at Wellington Regional Medical Center and Palm West Hospital. "It's a continuation of what I do on a daily basis when you can't offer more than comfort to a patient," he says. "I've been in the the community 20 years. When I see patients at home, I know their names and who they are. It's very rewarding emotionally."

Dr. Barry Lerner, an internist with a specialty in geriatrics, refers to his Hospice service as Assistant Medical Director of the Blue and Lilac Teams as a "calling." He says that taking care of patients who are dying is "sobering but great. It gives me tremendous gratification that I am relieving pain and suffering."

Hospice of Palm Beach County salutes their caring doctors for all they do. It is their unwavering dedication to the more than 7000 patients and countless families that has helped the organization become Palm Beach County's hospice provider of choice.

"Thank you for all that you do," said Dave Fielding, President and CEO of Hospice of Palm Beach County. "We are proud to have each and every one of you as a part of our team."

From Boca Raton to Tequesta, Belle Glade to the Beach… We’re There

Serving all of Palm Beach County’s Hospice Care Needs

“I had no idea how far reaching your services go, let alone how much you do for our community. The words ‘we’re there’ will forever have great meaning to me and my family.”
– Eric Jablin

Amid the crescendo of voices arguing about the state of our nation’s healthcare system and how to fix it, you can rely on one provider that remains true and steadfast to its community – Hospice of Palm Beach County. Although the tenuous nature of our healthcare system impacts so many in the United States, at Hospice of Palm Beach County we strive each and every day to provide a great healthcare experience to anyone who needs and wants our services, regardless of their ability to pay or where they reside in Palm Beach County.

For more than 30 years we have operated as a not-for-profit organization, impacting patients, family members and other caregivers who depend on us. Currently, we’re caring for an average of 1,200 patients a day in Palm Beach County. Our unique programs and services and highly skilled staff are integral to Hospice of Palm Beach County’s position as the hospice provider of choice in our community. Moreover, our ability to serve the needs of the entire county – from Boca Raton to Tequesta, Belle Glade to the beach – has enabled us to care for more patients and families than any other provider.

“No matter where you are in Palm Beach County we will be there for you,” said Dr. Karen Kennedy, Medical Director at the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Delray Medical Center. “By having such a broad presence we’re able to treat every patient and family as they wish, and provide the highest quality end-of-life care to everyone who asks for it. This is one of the reasons why we have become so prominent in Palm Beach County,” she said.

Regional offices in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Belle Glade and North Palm Beach enable our teams to serve patients wherever they reside: at home or in a skilled nursing, assisted living or area medical facility. Additionally, our six in-patient units, strategically located throughout the county, provide a peaceful, homelike setting, for convenience and comfort when a patient’s symptoms can’t be managed at home.

“Having you take care of my mother right at the assisted living home has been a blessing,” said Eric Jablin, whose mother, a resident at Mangrove Bay Assisted Living, has been a patient of Hospice of Palm Beach County since last February. “I had no idea how far reaching your services go, let alone how much you do for our community. The words ‘we’re there’ will forever have great meaning for me and my family,” he said.

“We provide a full spectrum of care for patients and an incredible support system for families. Our counseling services are available to anyone in the community, even if they have not had a loved one in hospice care,” remarked Dr. Kennedy. “If a patient desires to be at home then our staff visits the home. If they decide on certain therapies, we provide them regardless of where the patient is being cared for. Our services and programs are provided by a team that is specifically chosen for their expertise in the areas of need that each patient and family require,” she said. A hospice physician, the patient’s primary physician, registered nurses and certified nursing assistants, social workers, therapists, spiritual care counselors, bereavement counselors and volunteers all join to work as one with a precise goal in mind – to comfort and care for our patients and families with the respect and dignity they deserve.

If you, or a loved one, are contemplating whether to make the call to us, don’t wait. Each member of our valued team lives by our values of “patients and families first” and “doing whatever it takes,” and we remain true to our community. As the conflicting views, frustration and moral dilemmas facing our country and the healthcare industry persist, we take pride in our promise – to be there for everyone in Palm Beach County who needs and wants our care.


The staff at the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Delray Medical Center (pictured above) celebrated 3 years of service in January 2010.