Hospice of Santa Cruz County is proud to announce it has received a grant in the amount of $20,000 from the Hospice Foundation. Since its inception in 1997, Hospice Foundation has granted over $20 million to local programs dedicated to strengthening and improving palliative, hospice and other end-of-life services. The grant is awarded to support Hospice of Santa Cruz County’s We Honor Veterans program and hospice services for patients residing in North Monterey County.
Hospice of Santa Cruz County’s (HSCC) “We Honor Veterans” Program was started in 2011 to honor and thank hospice patients who served in the US military and to recognize and address the unique issues that veterans may face at the end of life. Last year, HSCC provided compassionate hospice services to 165 military veterans.
“This program is about recognizing and thanking veterans for their service to our country. We believe that it’s never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home,” explains Cathy Conway, Vice President of Communications & Philanthropy. By identifying veterans when they come on to hospice care, HSCC’s team of nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice aides and trained volunteers can provide veterans with an opportunity to tell their stories and can link veterans and their families to services and benefits available to them.
“’We Honor Veterans’ is one of our community programs that we could not continue without the support of our community and organizations like the Hospice Foundation,” Conway stated.
Hospice of Santa Cruz County is the oldest and only non-profit hospice serving Santa Cruz and northern Monterey counties. Since 1978, the care that HSCC has provided helps patients live more fully at the end of life. Expert medical care, emotional and spiritual support for the entire family is focused on providing comfort, enhancing dignity and supporting personal choices for living with serious illness.