Category Archives: Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Borgess Congratulates Visiting Nurse & Hospice Volunteers For Receiving 2012 Star Award

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Posted by Lew Tysman on April 26, 2012 – 3:39 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

KALAMAZOO, MI – Borgess Visiting Nurse & Hospice’s volunteer group has won the 2012 STAR (Sharing Time And Resources) Award in the “Adult Group Volunteer” category. The group received the honor at a celebration breakfast on April 18 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo.

“Our volunteers impact so many lives on very personal levels,” said Julie Luginbill, volunteer coordinator, Borgess Visiting Nurse & Hospice. Luginbill nominated her group of volunteers for this special award. “They laugh, cry, and most importantly, they provide a gentle presence to those who are nearing the end of life. Their work is far from easy, but this group of volunteers doesn’t shy away from the challenge of helping and comforting those who are dying.” Read More »

New administrators lead Borgess Visiting Nurse & Hospice

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Posted by Lew Tysman on April 13, 2012 – 10:16 am
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

KALAMAZOO, MI – Borgess Visiting Nurse & Hospice (BVNH) announces new leadership heading its administration and operations.

Tricia Carson is the new administrator for BVNH, stepping into the role after serving as Director of Rehabilitation Services.  As administrator, Tricia is responsible for overall planning, organizing, directing and management of all operational activities.  She also represents BVNH in the Borgess Health Continuum of Care, and she also oversees the therapy, marketing and counseling services for the organization.

Tricia has served BVNH for nearly 10 years as a supervisor and as Director of Rehabilitation Services.  She has worked in home care since 1981 and is experienced in pediatric care, geriatric care, acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care, home care, psychiatric care, and crisis intervention.  Prior to joining BVNH, Tricia was employed at Mary Free Bed Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. as staff occupational therapist.  She also worked at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Read More »

Borgess VNA Home Care offers hundreds of flu clinics

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Posted by Lew Tysman on August 11, 2011 – 3:25 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to recognize the importance of immunization and also plan to attend an upcoming flu clinic offered by Borgess VNA Home Care.

“Borgess VNA Home Care offers hundreds of flu clinics in six counties throughout southwest Michigan, beginning Wednesday, September 7,” said Val Bauer, Administrative Director, Borgess VNA Home Care. “Flu shots are recommended yearly for everyone over the age of six months.

“We offer a high dose flu vaccine to those 65 years of age and older,” Bauer said. “Because the body’s ability to fight disease decreases as we age, those over 65 are at greater risk of severe illness from the flu. The high dose flu vaccine contains four times the antigen (the part of the vaccine that prompts the body to make antibody) to create a stronger immune response in the person getting the vaccine.”

Borgess VNA Home Care also offers offer the pneumonia vaccine at all clinics. The shingles vaccine is available at the Borgess VNA Home Care office by appointment.

People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.  Vaccination is also important for health care workers, and other people who live with or care for high-risk people to keep from spreading flu to high-risk people.

For more Borgess VNA Home Care Clinic information, call (269) 382.6735 or visit flushot.borgess.com.

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice awarded Joint Commission accreditation

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Posted by Lew Tysman on July 29, 2011 – 2:26 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice programs have achieved Home Care accreditation from The Joint Commission (TJC). Accreditation is the process of inviting outside experts to conduct a review of your organization to validate and/or improve the care, treatment or services being provided. Home Care accreditation requires an unannounced review by a Joint Commission survey team experienced in the delivery of home care and hospice services. To achieve this award, organizations must demonstrate compliance with both the Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP) requirements.

“We take pride in adhering to the TJC accreditation standards said Linda Young, MSN, RN, Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer, Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice. “I’m very proud of the cooperation and communication among staff members that made this accreditation possible,” Young said. “All of our associates played a valuable role in attaining the high standards and goals set by TJC and CMS.”

Health care organizations, programs, and services voluntarily pursue accreditation and certification. Joint Commission surveyors visit accredited health care organizations a minimum of once every 36 months to evaluate standards compliance. This visit is called a survey. All regular Joint Commission accreditation surveys are unannounced.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long-term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory, and ambulatory care services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice offers a full continuum of care in the home that supports personal independence, safety and caring. Borgess is the oldest provider of home health care in southwest Michigan, serving the counties of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren. For more information, please visit homehealth.borgess.com.

Borgess Visiting Nurse Awarded “Great Michigan Home Health Care Award”

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Posted by Lew Tysman on June 20, 2011 – 3:42 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Borgess Visiting Nurse has achieved AdvisorMed’s 2011 Great Michigan Home Health Care Award by demonstrating results that consistently exceed patient expectations.

“Borgess Visiting Nurse has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of patient care, going beyond typical requirements for most home health care agencies,” said James Taylor, CEO of AdvisorMed. “I want to congratulate Borgess Visiting Nurse for successfully achieving these results.”

Borgess Visiting Nurse ranks within the top tier of all the home health care     agencies in Michigan. To calculate the award, AdvisorMed uses a variety of national standardized data, including information from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), along with consumer reviews.

Among its quality data, Borgess Visiting Nurse scored 93 percent in “how often the home health care team began with patients’ care in a timely manner”; 97 percent in “how often the home health team treated their patients’ pain”; 94 percent in “how often the home health team took doctor-ordered action to prevent pressure (bed) sores”; and 19 percent in “how often home health patients had to be admitted to the hospital.”

“This recognition further underscores our culture of excellence,” said Linda Young, MSN, RN, Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer, Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice. “Achieving the Great Michigan Home Health Care Award also reassures our patients and families we are dedicated to continually improving the care we provide.”

AdvisorMed is a free, online report card/health care guide featuring home health care agencies, nursing homes and hospitals. The goal of the organization is to help consumers make more informed health care choices. For more information, visit advisormed.com/view/home-health/237006/borgess-visiting-nurses.

Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief

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Posted by Lew Tysman on May 10, 2011 – 9:34 am
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Grief guidance retreats offered for adults and also for families

The grief guidance retreat–Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief–will be offered twice in June at the Transformations Center, 3427 Gull Road, by the Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice Expressive Arts Program. Both retreats will provide an acceptive and supportive environment to help participants cope with the loss of a loved one and express grief through creative outlets.

The two grief guidance retreats include:

  • Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief retreat, 9:30 am to 2 pm, Saturday, June 4,  for adults.
  • Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief retreat, 9:30 am to 4 pm, Saturday, June 25, for families–adults accompanying children ages eight and above.

To register for either retreat, call Kathleen Buday, Expressive Arts Coordinator, (269) 343.1396 or 1.800.343.1396. The deadline to register for the June 4 Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief for adults is Monday, May 23. The deadline to register for the June 25 Camp HUG: Honoring Unique Grief for families is Friday, June 10.

Borgess Hospice offers training for volunteer service

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Posted by Lew Tysman on March 10, 2011 – 3:47 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Volunteers play an important role in hospice, by providing support to patients, families and caregivers.

Borgess Hospice will offer training for persons who wish to serve in a variety of volunteer roles supporting patients and their families, as well as those who provide care to the patient.  The free training will be provided from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Wednesday, April 6 at the office of Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice, 348 N. Burdick St., Kalamazoo.  Volunteer opportunities include:

Patient-Family: Volunteers provide compassion, respite for the caregiver and other important support for patients at home or in extended care facilities.

Expressive Arts: Volunteers assist patients in a variety of creative activities including journaling, music and various art forms.

Administrative: Volunteers provide assistance to staff in program areas including medical records, billing and volunteer services.

While there is no cost, pre-registration is required.  Call (269) 343.1396 or (800) 343.1396 to register or learn more.

Borgess Hospice offers comprehensive 24-hour services to patients, family members and caregivers including:  home, hospital and extended care facility visits by nurses certified in and experienced with the care of hospice patients; medications, medical equipment and supplies related to end of life diagnosis; physical, occupational and speech therapies; and counseling and emotional support.  Additional information is available at homehealth.borgess.com.

Specialized Palliative Care at Home offered by Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

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Posted by Lew Tysman on February 28, 2011 – 5:48 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

People coping with painful conditions or a serious illness have an important new source for help.

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice now offers Palliative Care. 

Palliative Care is a medical specialty for improving the quality of life for individuals dealing with a serious or chronic illness.  Experienced, trained specialists help relieve symptoms and keep persons as comfortable as possible so they can enjoy life to the fullest.

“Our Palliative Care team of experts personalizes care to meet the needs of each individual,” said Linda Young, MSN, RN, Administrator & Chief Nursing Officer, Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice.  “With this help, a person can resume life more comfortably – even while undergoing medical treatments.”

Common symptoms that Palliative Care may help relieve include pain, breathing difficulty, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping.  Providing this care will be a team of experts that may include nurses, therapists, home health aides, chaplains, nutritionists, social workers and others. 

Palliative Care is available at any time during a person’s serious illness.  Working together with the patient’s primary doctor, the Palliative Care team delivers home care services for:

  • Expert management of pain and other symptoms
  • Help in navigating the healthcare system
  • Guidance with difficult and complex treatment choices
  • Emotional and spiritual needs (for the individual and the person’s family)

For more information, please call (269) 343.1396.

Borgess Visiting Nurse, Borgess VNA Home Care and Borgess Hospice offer a full continuum of care in the home that supports personal independence, safety and caring.  Borgess Visiting Nurse is the oldest provider of home health care in southwest Michigan, serving the counties of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren.

For more information, please visit homehealth.borgess.com.

Art Therapy Bereavement Group for Children & Teens starts in January

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Posted by Lew Tysman on January 6, 2011 – 12:45 pm
Filed under Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice will again sponsor Creative Crossings:  An Art Therapy Bereavement Support Group for Children & Teens.  The group will meet every Monday from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, January 17 – March 7, 2011 at Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice, 348 N. Burdick St., Kalamazoo.

The eight-week program helps children and teens learn to cope with, and accept the death of, a loved one by encouraging them to express their grief through creative outlets.

“This art therapy group will provide a sense of safety where youth can relax and convey thoughts and feelings at their own pace,” said Kathleen Buday, Expressive Arts Coordinator.  “Creative activities help children and teens overcome the powerlessness and helplessness they feel when someone they love dies, while granting a sense of control and building self-esteem.”

The Art Therapy Bereavement Group is free to children and teens in Kalamazoo and surrounding communities.  Pre-registration is required.

Children must be between aged 7-17.  A grief support group for adults that focuses on parenting the grieving child runs simultaneously; pre-registration is also required for this group.

To learn more or enroll, please contact Kathleen M. Buday, Expressive Arts Coordinator at (269) 343-1396.

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice offers a full continuum of care in the home for residents of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

For more information, visit homehealth.borgess.com.

Support groups offered for young people & parents dealing with death of a loved one

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Posted by Lew Tysman on September 20, 2010 – 10:06 pm
Filed under Borgess Health, Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice is sponsoring two free support groups, both for persons who have experienced the death of a loved one. 

“Creative Crossings” helps young persons aged 6-17 learn to cope with and accept the death of a loved one by encouraging them to express their grief through creative outlets.  Through art and music, kids may express the feelings that occur when dealing with grief and loss.  The group is facilitated by a Registered Art Therapist.

“Parenting the Grieving Child:  An Adult Support Group” focuses on parenting the grieving child.  This group is facilitated by a Bereavement Counselor.

Both groups meet from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, October 4 – November 22 at Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice, 348 N. Burdick St., Kalamazoo.

For more information, please call 269.343.1396 or 800.343.1396, or visit hospice.borgess.com. 

Borgess Visiting Nurse, Borgess VNA Home Care and Borgess Hospice offer a full continuum of care in the home that supports personal independence, safety and caring.  Borgess Visiting Nurse is the oldest provider of home health care in southwest Michigan, serving the counties of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren.

For more information on Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice, please visit homehealth.borgess.com.