Message from Leadership
As I look back on 2021, it would be easy to begin my address with all the challenges and obstacles we faced throughout the year. Instead, I must confess how amazed I am seeing first-hand the excellent care our Community Hospice staff is providing to our patients and families each day. The Standard of Care being delivered to our hospice and palliative patients, as well as our community members receiving grief and mental health support continues to be second to none. It is because of our leadership team, staff, volunteers, and many community partners who demonstrate their “Hospice Heart” that allows us to continue to focus on providing compassionate and quality care to those in need that make me extremely proud and honored to be the Interim President/CEO.
We welcomed many new faces to the Community Hospice Leadership Team in 2021 including, Mark Maltun our Chief Financial Officer, Adam Konrad our Director of Human Resources and Francine Foley our Foundation Executive Director. After a long search, we were very blessed to have Dr. Peter Lai join our team as the Community Hospice Medical Director. Dr. Lai is doing a wonderful job and our teams are so happy to have him. We also said farewell to a very special member of the Community Hospice family. C. DeSha McLeod, past President/CEO, departed from Community Hospice and California in September. DeSha left to be closer to family and is currently the President/CEO for Austin Hospice in Texas and as we miss her, we also wish her the best.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the obstacles and challenges that 2021 constantly delivered. As the public health emergency crisis continued throughout the year with different variants of the COVID-19 virus, we found ourselves adapting and ultimately prevailing. Along with the daily challenges of COVID-19 continuing to plague our staff, patients and community, there were additional stumbling blocks along the way. Senate Bill 95 was approved, this emergency legislation provided up to 80 hours of paid sick leave, for staff for eight different reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill was a great benefit to our staff; however, it also required our organization to bear all the costs. The California Department of Public Health mandated that all health care workers were required to be vaccinated and/or have an eligible exemption in place, causing health care workers to reevaluate their profession while our Leadership team scrambled to make sure we remained in compliance.
Looking forward in to 2022, it appears more challenges lie ahead. California is mandating that all health care workers get a COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022, as the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread. Assembly Bill 1280 was approved which limits hospice salespeople, recruiters, agents, and employees that receive compensation from consulting with patients and families. At the same time, “The Great Resignation” staffing shortage coupled with the Omicron variant spreading like wildfire, has certainly made the day-to-day operations of caring for our community less than ideal.
Our motto for 2022 is Our Community…Our Hospice. As we continue supporting our community, one family at a time, our caring staff at Community Hospice who live our mission, “to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all”, know that anything is possible. We can and will continue to proudly provide excellent and quality care, education and support to the communities we serve.
We are grateful to all who help us do the important work our community members need. Thank you for choosing to be a part of our Community Hospice family.
John E. Renner
Interim President/CEO
We welcomed many new faces to the Community Hospice Leadership Team in 2021 including, Mark Maltun our Chief Financial Officer, Adam Konrad our Director of Human Resources and Francine Foley our Foundation Executive Director. After a long search, we were very blessed to have Dr. Peter Lai join our team as the Community Hospice Medical Director. Dr. Lai is doing a wonderful job and our teams are so happy to have him. We also said farewell to a very special member of the Community Hospice family. C. DeSha McLeod, past President/CEO, departed from Community Hospice and California in September. DeSha left to be closer to family and is currently the President/CEO for Austin Hospice in Texas and as we miss her, we also wish her the best.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the obstacles and challenges that 2021 constantly delivered. As the public health emergency crisis continued throughout the year with different variants of the COVID-19 virus, we found ourselves adapting and ultimately prevailing. Along with the daily challenges of COVID-19 continuing to plague our staff, patients and community, there were additional stumbling blocks along the way. Senate Bill 95 was approved, this emergency legislation provided up to 80 hours of paid sick leave, for staff for eight different reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill was a great benefit to our staff; however, it also required our organization to bear all the costs. The California Department of Public Health mandated that all health care workers were required to be vaccinated and/or have an eligible exemption in place, causing health care workers to reevaluate their profession while our Leadership team scrambled to make sure we remained in compliance.
Looking forward in to 2022, it appears more challenges lie ahead. California is mandating that all health care workers get a COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022, as the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread. Assembly Bill 1280 was approved which limits hospice salespeople, recruiters, agents, and employees that receive compensation from consulting with patients and families. At the same time, “The Great Resignation” staffing shortage coupled with the Omicron variant spreading like wildfire, has certainly made the day-to-day operations of caring for our community less than ideal.
Our motto for 2022 is Our Community…Our Hospice. As we continue supporting our community, one family at a time, our caring staff at Community Hospice who live our mission, “to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all”, know that anything is possible. We can and will continue to proudly provide excellent and quality care, education and support to the communities we serve.
We are grateful to all who help us do the important work our community members need. Thank you for choosing to be a part of our Community Hospice family.
John E. Renner
Interim President/CEO
Mission
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The mission of Community Hospice is to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all.
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Vision |
The vision of Community Hospice is to be the Provider of Excellence in quality care, education and support.
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Values |
Compassion
The vision of Community Hospice is to be the Provider of Excellence in quality care, education and support. Quality Our healthcare environment is dedicated to quality standards of care to address the physical, emotional and spiritual comfort of our patients. Integrity We maintain, in our thinking and our actions, the highest level of integrity in our concern for each other, for patients and families, volunteers and the community. |
Media
Connect with Us!
Support through social media. The Community Hospice Media Center connects you with our programs and resources and engages you with others in the community. Follow us on social media for stories, upcoming events, and special announcements. All are welcome to share their story and pictures.
Our mission is to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all. Our team is always looking for suggestions and new initiatives to participate in while striving to spread awareness of end-of-life care. If you have questions or comments or would like to reach our Director of Public Relations, contact us at heart@hospiceheart.org.
Support through social media. The Community Hospice Media Center connects you with our programs and resources and engages you with others in the community. Follow us on social media for stories, upcoming events, and special announcements. All are welcome to share their story and pictures.
Our mission is to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all. Our team is always looking for suggestions and new initiatives to participate in while striving to spread awareness of end-of-life care. If you have questions or comments or would like to reach our Director of Public Relations, contact us at heart@hospiceheart.org.
Websites
Social Media
