Here is a listing of our archived Press Releases.
Current | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
(Fort Myers, Fla.) Samira K. Beckwith, president and CEO of Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, has been awarded a Fellow credential in Pain Management by the American Academy of Pain Management.
The American Academy of Pain Management is the largest multidisciplinary society of pain management professionals. Credentialing by the Academy requires successful passage of an examination, specific experience in pain management, adherence to the Patient Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics as well as other stringent criteria.
“At Hope Hospice, our highest priority is to provide comfort to our patients,” Beckwith said. “Expertise in pain management is a benefit to those we serve every day. I’m honored to reach this academic level and will continue to work for even greater improvements in patient care.”
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Four Companies named Lee County’s 2003 Industry Leaders Awards presented at September 19 luncheon
FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 19, 2003)—Four local companies were recognized during the 2003 Industry Appreciation Week Luncheon today at the Harborside Event Center in downtown Fort Myers. The companies were selected to receive this prestigious award based on their exceptional level of leadership, innovation, investment and community involvement in southwest Florida. Sponsored by the Horizon Council, Lee County’s economic advisory board, the event recognized the following 2003 Industry Appreciation Award winners:
Hope Hospice and Palliative Care
This not-for-profit, community-based health care agency has served people
of all ages facing end of life issues for more than 20 years. Over the
past five years, it has expanded its services in Lee County to embrace
Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Boca Grande, and additional areas of North
Fort Myers. The agency conducts customer surveys that are used by its
improvement team to continually affect positive change. It has grown to
nearly 400 employees, doubling its staff over the past five years. Special
benefits to employees include continuing education, stress management,
frequent social events and more. The agency’s summer internships, mentoring
programs, in-depth two-day orientation programs, and strong ties to local
colleges, all ensure the development of a steady, reliable workforce in
Lee County. Grateful to benefit from community donations and the efforts
of more than 700 volunteers, Hope Hospice and its employees participate
in numerous volunteer efforts that give back to the community.
The Horizon Council is a public-private group that works toward improving the business environment in Lee County, retaining and encouraging the expansion of existing businesses, and attracting new and diversified employment to the area. The Industry Appreciation Week Luncheon is one of the Horizon Council’s major events each year.
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Hope Hospice Wins National Recognition for Innovative Responsiveness to Community Needs
(Washington, DC) – Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, serving southwest Florida, has received the Circle of Life Citation of Honor for its “outstanding program to improve the care of patients near the end of life” and to non-hospice patients including victims of crime.
The Circle of Life citation recognizes programs across the country that have made great strides in advancing palliative and end-of-life care and related services. The awards are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey and are sponsored by the American Hospital Association, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Medical Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Under the leadership of President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith, Hope Hospice initiated an Open Access strategy, which makes services available to anyone who needs hospice care, regardless of age, diagnosis or ability to pay. “Our mission to provide quality care was already clear,” Beckwith said. “Our Open Access strategy helped us to better focus our attention to how to take care of the individual person, not just the patient that the system may try to make them.”
The Open Access strategy and culture also led to programs that go beyond the traditional boundaries of hospice care. Pathways of Hope Counseling Center supports schools, businesses, law enforcement, health care professionals and other community organizations with training in grief and loss counseling. Pathways also includes the innovative Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA) program, which supports law enforcement agencies by working with victims’ families.
“The entire Hope Hospice team feels privileged to be able to provide excellence in service to our community,” Beckwith said.
“The Open Access Program at Hope Hospice and Palliative Care has made great strides in end-of-life and palliative care. Their program reflects the importance they put on serving patients, families and those around them,” said American Hospital Association President Dick Davidson. “That’s why they’re receiving the Circle of Life Citation.”
Hope Hospice was selected by a committee made up of leaders from medicine, nursing, social work, and health administration. The committee focused on innovative programs that respect patient goals and preferences, provide comprehensive care, acknowledge and address the family or caregivers’ concerns and needs, and build systems and mechanisms of support to continue the program for future patients and caregivers. This is the fourth year for the Circle of Life Award.
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(Washington, DC) Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, serving southwest Florida, has been recognized by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation for its innovative and visionary approach in delivering a consistently high level of care to its patients.
Each year, the Foundation recognizes leading health care organizations in the US for significant scientific contributions and exemplary leadership in the improvement of quality in the use of patient medication. The recipients are recognized for pioneering innovative ways to improve the medication use process and increase communication between all members of the health care team.
“Not only is this a great honor, it is a fitting tribute to the work of our entire Hope Hospice and Palliative Care team,” said Samira Beckwith, Hope Hospice president and CEO. “The Pinnacle Award validates the positive responses we’ve received from so many of our patients and their families during our more than twenty years of service, as we continuously work to provide the best care possible.”
Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, one of the top twenty stand-alone hospice programs in the US, has created, implemented and maintained a Collaborative Practice Medication Management System to manage medication therapy. It involves pharmacists, Hope Hospice nurses, Hope Hospice physicians, many independent referring physicians, and independent clinical pharmacy and medication distribution systems tied together by web based documentation and communication tools. “Using integrated, state of the art technology that enables professionals from different disciplines to participate in a patient’s care and make informed decisions based on current information, Hope Hospice delivers an unparalleled level of quality of care to its patients,” according to the Award citation.
The system includes interdisciplinary care, clear and defined responsibilities, timely and accessible documentation, and informed decision-making. It can be emulated by other hospices to improve the quality of life of patients by ensuring optimal care. “Through this innovative and visionary approach to medication therapy, Hope Hospice and Palliative Care is able to deliver a consistently high level of care to its patients,” according to the Foundation. The award will be presented at a ceremony in Washington on June 17.
The American Pharmacists Association Foundation, in Washington, DC, is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists. The Pinnacle Awards, recognizing contributions to health care quality through the medication use process, were established in 1997 by the American Pharmacists Association. The purpose of the award is to recognize pioneering individuals and groups for their contributions and for their exemplary leadership in medication use quality improvement. For more information: www.aphafoundation.org