Village Hospice is proud to announce that it has attained Partner Level 4 status in the We Honor Veterans (WHV) program, making it one of only five Missouri partners in the region to earn this level of excellence.

We Honor Veterans is part of a national collaborative program between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the NHPCO. The campaign’s goal is to care for and honor those who have served when they reach the end of life.

Through this program, Village Hospice makes it a priority to identify which of its patients are veterans and to try to connect them and their loved ones with resources that can help bring peace and closure. Additionally, Veterans can have unique and significant needs when they reach the end of their lives - beyond what the average person copes with - and We Honor Veterans has provided great tools to help them know the best ways to provide care. These needs may be shaped by the era in which they served, the war/conflict they may have served in, and they types of duties they performed in the service of our country.

“I am incredibly proud of the work our team has done to integrate this philosophy into our daily work,” said Village Hospice Administrator Ketti Dawson, “as well as their work to develop concrete steps we can take to make a difference in the lives of the veterans and family members we serve. Meeting the difficult milestones required to achieve Level 4 status has enhanced our already robust program and benefits not only veterans, but also our staff, other patients and our volunteers.”

To reach Level 4, Village Hospice increased its veteran-specific education for staff and volunteers, evaluated its Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer program, developed resources to help veterans and families access benefits, and continually evaluated its services while seeking ways to improve care and service to veterans. Some examples of their work include:

· Veterans Café - A monthly coffee where resident Veterans gather to share stories and memories as well as information and resources with one another.
· Annual Veterans Educational Breakfast - Residents and loved ones learn about Veteran benefits, hear presentations from authors and experts, and meet Veteran service providers.
· Unique individual events - These include providing greater recognition of Flag Day and Veterans Day, participation in the VFW-sponsored Veteran’s Day parade in Lee’s Summit, “Welcoming Home” Vietnam veterans through the Vietnam War Commemoration, holding a US Cadet Nurse Corps celebration, and more.
· Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer program. Volunteers serve by being a much-needed confidant to another veteran in a way that few others can provide, by helping these patients to have peace from military traumas, at the end of life.
· Ongoing training for Village Hospice staff and volunteers to help them understand the special and specific needs of veterans at the end of life.

Village Hospice is a service of John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Our care teams see patients in Jackson, Bates, Cass, Clay, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray Counties in Missouri. More information about hospice is available at 815-525-0986 or www.JKVHealthServices.org

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