Here is a listing of our archived Press Releases.
Current | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Hope for the Holidays Preparation can help in avoiding holiday grief
(Fort Myers, Fla.) -- The holidays are often thought of as joyful time of the year in Southwest Florida, with parties, and of course, special times with our families.
However, as Hope Hospice President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith points out, “The holidays can be difficult for people coping with the loss of a loved one. The season may be full of reminders of recent loss in our lives. During the holidays, even feelings of grief from years past can seem fresh.”
Beckwith says thoughtful preparation can help to alleviate the grief and stress. The Pathways of Hope Counseling Center helps families who have experienced loss throughout the year. Hope’s professional counselors offer special suggestions for the holidays.
Those who have recently lost a loved one, as well as their friends, should not try to ignore the loss and pretend that nothing has changed. Recognize that the holidays won't be the same. Expecting everything to be the same might lead to disappointment.
During the holidays, allow yourself, or your grieving friend, permission to do what feels right. At a time of year when many people feel compelled to follow holiday traditions, doing something different can be helpful. For example, you may want to create a new tradition, such as lighting a special candle in remembrance, or donating to a favorite charity in the name of the loved one. You may want to do something special for others, and when they thank you, you can explain how you did it to honor your loved one.
Avoid additional stress. Decide what you really want to do over the holiday season and give yourself permission to avoid things you don't want to do.
Plan for the approaching holidays. Recognize that the holidays might be a difficult time for you. The stress may affect you emotionally, mentally, and physically. This is a normal reaction.
Be careful not to isolate yourself. It's important to take quiet, reflective time for yourself but also allow yourself the support offered from friends and family.
The holidays may affect other family members. Talk over your plans and share your feelings. Respect other's choices and needs.
For more information on Hope of Southwest Florida’s Pathways of Hope Counseling Center, call 800-835-1673.
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Hope
Hospice Tree of Lights Enters 21st Season
Decorations, donations a holiday tradition
(Fort Myers, Fla.) -- This year marks the 21st season for the Hope Hospice
Tree of Lights at Edison Mall. The event enables supporters to decorate
the tree and honor a loved one while making a contribution to Hope.
With each donation, participants will be given a butterfly ornament, the symbol of hope, to place on the lighted tree. “The community has always enjoyed taking part in our tree decoration,” said Samira K. Beckwith. “We are committed to caring for everyone who needs our services, regardless of their ability to pay, so this is a very special event for the community and for us.”
The Tree of Lights event runs through December 24. The trees are located in Edison Mall, by Dillard’s, near Santa’s Station.
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Tennis Challenge to Support Hope Hospice
(Fort Myers,
Fla.) - The Sanctuary Golf Club on Sanibel is hosting its second annual
Hope Hospice Tennis Challenge, which promises to be a weekend of fun for
a worthy cause. Proceeds from the event enable Hope Hospice to care for
people in need, regardless of their ability to pay.
The event will be held on Saturday, November 20 and Sunday, November 21
at the Sanctuary Golf Club, located at 2801 Wulfort Road, Sanibel. Tournament
play begins at 8:30 AM Saturday.
The two-day challenge will feature men and women’s bracketed doubles in
elimination rounds, as well as consolation rounds. Bracket winners and
finalists as well as the consolation winners will receive awards designed
by renowned local artist Lucas Century. The entry fee is $50 per person.
A continental breakfast and lunch will be served on both days.
This year’s event is anticipated to be bigger and even more successful
than last year’s.
For more information on participating as a player or a sponsor, call Christie
Bradley: (239) 472-5276.
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Hope
Chest Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
During National Hospice Month
November a month of special opportunities at Hope Hospice resale
store
(North
Fort Myers, Fla.) - In its first year of operation, Hope Chest has made
almost 50 thousand sales. About 200 times each day, shoppers purchase
everything from large TVs to antiques, from ballroom gowns to trendy casual
wear.
It’s been a year since the store changed its name from Twice is Nice and
moved from Metro Parkway to 13821 North Cleveland Avenue in North Fort
Myers. The business outgrew its original 4,800 square feet of floor space
and now occupies 30,000 square feet in a former Publix supermarket.
"Hope Chest is an asset to the operation of Hope Hospice as well as to the community," said Samira K. Beckwith, Hope president and CEO. "The community has been very kind to us, with their donations of high-quality merchandise for resale. The proceeds from all sales benefit our patients and their families."
In celebration of its first year and National Hospice Month, Hope Chest
has planned a month of special shopper opportunities:
Week of November 1: Hope Chest begins its sale of Christmas merchandise
- fifty percent off until after the holidays.
Week of November 8: Selected sofas priced at $25, chairs at $10.
Week of November 15: Clothing 75 percent off (unless otherwise marked).
Week of November 22: Furniture priced at 25 percent off, including antique
pieces.
Other specials to be offered each day.
On Monday, November 15, Hope Hospice will present Hope Chest Volunteer Day, with an open house, refreshments and information about working at the store as a volunteer.
Hope
Chest is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM until 5 PM, and Saturday
from 9 AM until 4 PM. For more information, call (239) 652-1114.
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Hope
Hospice, Lehigh Regional Medical Center Open In-Patient Unit
Hospice services now even more accessible for Lehigh Acres area
(Lehigh Acres, Florida) - Hope Hospice and Lehigh Regional Medical Center today announced the opening of a full-service hospice unit at the hospital. Hope will offer the same services and amenities that are available at its in-patient Hope Hospice houses in south Fort Myers and North Fort Myers.
The Lehigh Acres hospice facility has four patient suites, attended 24 hours a day by professional hospice staff. Hope and Lehigh Regional will also accommodate the needs of family members, who will be able to visit or stay with the patients at all times. The first patients will be admitted on Monday, October 18.
“We are so pleased to be able to better serve the Lehigh Acres area in this way,” said Hope Hospice President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith. “While we care for many people in the area in their own homes, our in-patient services will enable us to better meet special needs, and give the community much greater accessibility to our services.”
Lehigh Regional Medical Center CEO Dan Buckner said, “We are very proud of our association with Hope Hospice. Together, our teams of health care professionals are now bringing a new level of comprehensive care to our community.”
Lehigh Regional Medical Center is an 88-bed facility with 50 active physicians, located at 1500 Lee Road in Lehigh Acres. Accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Lehigh Regional Medical Center serves a five-county area. Primary care physicians are trained in internal medicine, emergency medicine, family practice, general practice and pediatrics and an array of medical specialties. For more information: http://www.lehighregional.com/
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“When
Bad Things Happen to Good People” Author Returns to Fort Myers
Hope Hospice Again Presents Internationally
Acclaimed Writer and Speaker
(Fort Myers, Fla.) Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of international best
sellers and award-winning inspirational and motivational books, is returning
to Fort Myers to make a free presentation to the public on Monday, October
18. The event is presented by Hope Hospice.
“Rabbi Kushner’s appearance here last year was a huge success, and we
are delighted to host his return at this time,” said Hope Hospice President
and CEO Samira K. Beckwith. Kushner’s presentation will focus on two of
his best-known books, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, and The Lord
is My Shepherd. “When tragedy comes into a life or a community, people
ask, ‘Why me?’ Rabbi Kushner brings positive and reassuring answers drawn
from his own experience,” Beckwith said.
Harold S. Kushner is Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in the Boston suburb
of Natick, Massachusetts, after serving that congregation for twenty-four
years. He is best known as the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good
People, an international best seller. The book has been translated into
fourteen languages and was recently selected by members of the Book of
the Month Club as one of the ten most influential books of recent years.
The late-October event is Hope Hospice’s lead-in to National Hospice Month
in November. Books will be available for purchase and the Rabbi will sign
them after the presentation.
The presentation, free and open to the public, will take place on Monday,
October 18 at 7 PM at the Harborside Event Center.
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Hope Hospice Awarded Top National Honor for Innovative Patient Care
(San Diego, Calif.) - Hope Hospice today received the prestigious Circle of Life Award in recognition for its innovative program that improves the care of individuals at the end of life.
The Circle of Life Award honors programs across the United States that have made great strides in palliative and end-of-life care. The awards are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey and are sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
Last year, Hope Hospice was awarded the Circle of Life Citation of Honor for its strategy to make services available to anyone who needs hospice care, regardless of age, diagnosis, or ability to pay. This year’s award bestows the highest level of recognition for its work, and Hope Hospice is the only Florida honoree.
Under Beckwith’s leadership, Hope Hospice initiated an approach to patient care that they refer to as their Collage of Comfort. “Our Collage of Comfort philosophy encompasses every aspect of the individual’s well-being - body, mind and spirit,” Beckwith said. “At the heart of it is our commitment to make sure the system is working to meet the specific needs and preferences of each individual in our care, not in trying to make a patient fit into a standardized system.”
Beckwith also said, “It’s an honor to be nationally recognized for our work and our ideas, but it is an even greater honor to be able to serve such a wonderful community that supports our efforts.”
AHA President Dick Davidson said, “Hope Hospice has made great strides in end-of-life and palliative care. Their program reflects the importance they place on serving patients and their families. It is in celebration of this innovative, caring spirit that we proudly award them our Circle of Life Award.”
Davidson said that Hope Hospice was chosen by a selection 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.
For more information about the Circle of Life Award, visit www.aha.org/circleoflife.
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Hope Hospice Joins Nation’s Largest Study of Massage Therapy
(Fort Myers, Fla.) - Hope Hospice has been selected to participate in a study to determine if moving touch therapy, also known as massage therapy, reduces the burden of symptoms of patients in advanced stages of cancer. The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $1.2 million grant to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to conduct the study.
The researchers anticipate that the three-year study, the largest of its kind ever done, will demonstrate that massage therapy decreases pain, improves quality of life and reduces physical and emotional symptom distress among patients with advanced cancer. Nationwide, 440 patients will be enrolled in the clinical trial, including patients at Hope and eleven other hospices.
“Hope Hospice has offered massage therapy to our patients for years, and the feedback has been positive, even during advanced stages of illness,” said Samira K. Beckwith, Hope Hospice President and CEO. “We expect the data from this study to confirm that those who receive massage therapy will experience a better quality of life and enhanced comfort during end of life care.”
Beckwith said that in addition to satisfying the need for nurturing touch, the benefits of massage therapy include increased flow of oxygen to the tissue and the release of endorphin, the body’s natural painkiller.
Proponents believe that with massage therapy, advanced cancer patients do not suffer from the side effects their medications can cause. The medications are used to treat pain, fatigue and decreased appetite.
If the nationwide study confirms that patients do experience a better quality of life with massage therapy, it could become a standard component of patient care.
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(Alexandria, Va.) – Samira K. Beckwith, president and CEO of Hope Hospice, based in Fort Myers, Fla., as been elected to the position of National Director of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), based in Alexandria, Virginia. NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs in the United States.
“NHPCO is committed to improving care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for everyone facing end-of-life issues,” Beckwith said. “Hope Hospice in southwest Florida has shared that same commitment for more than 20 years, so I am excited about contributing on a national level.”
During her three-year term as an NHPCO National Director, Beckwith will focus on public policy, education, diversity, cultural issues and better access to care. “Our greatest challenge for the future is making the ‘right’ decisions in the midst of a rapidly changing healthcare environment,” she said.
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(New York, NY) – The Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), the national leader in improving the quality of care in the home care industry, has granted Accreditation to Hope Hospice. The Accreditation comes after an exhaustive review of every aspect of Hope’s operations, policies and procedures.
One of CHAP’s primary objectives is to enable hospices and other health care organizations to develop and maintain state-of-the art national standards of excellence. A CHAP team member said that it was “extremely rare” for an organization to score as well as Hope Hospice did on the initial CHAP assessment. According to the CHAP report, “The organization is commended for fostering a corporate climate of innovation and direction for the future.”
“We are proud to receive this professional verification of the high standards we adhere to,” said Samira K. Beckwith, Hope Hospice President and CEO. “This accreditation acknowledges our commitment to providing the best possible care to the people we serve.” The CHAP report listed several organizational strengths:
- High
employee morale and job satisfaction contribute to a positive work environment.
- Experienced management team and Board of Directors who are committed
to quality care, standards of excellence and the development of their
innovative World Class Performance Program, all of which are integral
in addressing the palliative care needs of communities served.
- Collaboration with the educational community to increase students’ awareness
of palliative care opportunities.
- Bereavement outreach extends beyond hospice families to the entire community.
The CHAP Accreditation is in effect for three years. For more information about CHAP, visit www.chapinc.org