Two major announcements came before the cutting of the celebratory cake as the North Okanagan Hospice Society (NOHS) marked its 40th anniversary recently.
Incoming executive director Megan Cox announced a new program called Hospice at Home, and that the facility on 27th Avenue has an exclusive palliative physician team under contract, the latter announcement drawing raucous applause from the crowd of 60 gathered in the foyer at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The palliative physician team came out of the involvement in planning for the Hospice at Home program.
"The challenge of accessing a family physician in our community is something that many people experience," said Cox. "To access hospice care, individuals require a family physician. That creates a disparity and results in delayed access where some people don't make it to hospice.
"Because of Hospice at Home, an entire team of physicians have joined us and are exclusively under contract to us to ensure 24/7 access to physician care that patients require at home or at hospice."
As of Oct. 28, said Cox, every community member that meets the criteria for care at hospice will receive it regardless if they don't have a family physician.
Hospice at Home is a pilot project that will begin supporting the North Okanagan community within the next month, and prior to the holiday season.
"The program creates the ability for individuals to remain at home if they choose and will receive the same support of care they would receive at our in-house hospice," said Cox.
The program is fully supported by funding and donations received, with Cox giving a special mention to the Vernon-based Foord Foundation which has allowed the program to start earlier than expected.
As part of the anniversary celebration, NOHS introduced a new award, the Heart of Hospice. This award recognizes individuals or organizations that represent and support the values, mission, and work of hospice.
The inaugural recipient of the Heart of Hospice award was Elle James, who was honoured for her advocacy, raising awareness and support for Hospice while also embodying the values that are at the heart of the work that the society does.
James took part in the recent return of Dancing With The Vernon Stars, raising more than $30,000 for hospice. She competed with her partner, James Kankam. The James/Kankam duo and nine other pairs helped raise $170,800 for hospice.
The anniversary event brought together community members, staff, supporters, and volunteers, like Charley Hampton, to honour NOHS's dedication to providing compassionate end-of-life care.
Hampton has spent 17 years giving his time to talk with people nearing the end of their lives. He shared a remarkable story of his first-ever volunteer shift, a Wednesday morning, 7:30 start, when two experienced volunteers told him to "stay here" inside the facility.
"All of a sudden, somebody died in Room 2. Eight people came out, hugging each other, crying, some were on their phones, it was just this chaos," said Hampton. "Then, one person from that group keeled over and was taken away by ambulance. I thought, 'Is this what it's going to be like?'"
Hampton persevered. He figures he's chatted with a couple of hundred people over the years and he's gotten more out of volunteering for hospice than he's put into it.
"I've talked with people slowly losing their lives, losing what they can do, and yet they still want to focus on what they can do," he told the crowd. "I think of that a lot. There's some things I can't do anymore that I used to do, but I'm grateful for what I have. And I'll continue to be like that until I take my last breath."
For four decades, NOHS has been a beacon of hope and support for individuals and families facing terminal illness. The society’s unwavering commitment to providing compassionate care, grief counselling, and community education has made a profound impact on the North Okanagan region.
"This occasion emphasized the true impact of the care that the North Okanagan Hospice Society provides as well as how important our connection to the community is," said Cox. "It was an honour to witness such a remarkable outpouring of support as we celebrated our 40th anniversary, and to be able to share our appreciation with the community that has supported us getting here.
"As we embark on our next 40 years, we remain committed to offering exceptional care and support, ensuring quality palliative and bereavement care is available to individuals and their loved ones in our community."
The celebratory cake was cut by original NOHS board member Barb Schimpl, and current president Bruce Shepherd.
Outgoing executive director Lisa Matthews served as the anniversary evening's emcee.
