ROCKINGHAM — Mayor Steve Morris issued a proclamation to designate November 2017 as “Hospice and Palliative Care Month” in honor of hospice caregivers, volunteers and staff.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization on Oct. 31 issued a national proclamation of the same and called on the public to follow suit in honor of the 50th anniversary of what is widely believed to be the first hospice organization, St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, according to the NHPCO website.

The theme for the month is “It’s about how you live!” This month also marks the 35th anniversary of the Medicare hospice benefit in the United States.

Morris recognized Richmond County Hospice, which includes Hospice Haven and Anson Community Hospice, for its service to Richmond and the surrounding counties.

RCH has been in operation for 32 years and has served more than 6,000 patients, according to Morris.

“We’re proud to be the nonprofit hospice for this county,” said Kristina Leyden, CEO of Richmond County Hospice. “So many people think that you go to Hospice Haven to die…we get people to come there and we get their symptoms better and we get them home.”

“Once they enter our doors, they always want to come back,” she added.

Richmond County Hospice is in the top 300 hospice organizations out of 5,000 nationwide, Leyden said. She said the honor by the mayor was “humbling” and that the success of RCH is the result of a team effort.

“It’s cliche but it really is about the team,” Leyden said. “We would not be good at what we did if not for everyone doing their part, so it’s very honoring to be acknowledged by the community that trusts us at this time in their lives.”

RCH serves between 350 and 400 patients per year. Leyden said what sets RCH apart is the individualized care they provide. Regulations may require a nurse to visit their patient once every other week, but she said their nurses will go out to a patient as many as four times a week.

“We individualize it based on what the need is,” Leyden said. “We are not about cutting corners, we are not about just the bare minimum, we are about a lot of what we do is way above and we do it all for customer service.”

RCH is the only hospice organization in the surrounding counties that has a doctor that will do home visitation, what Leyden calls “old medicine.” They also have an on-call team of registered nurses that answers calls after-hours.

There is a quote that Leyden likes to say around the office when describing the care hospice organizations provide: “They’re never going to remember what you did, they’re always going to remember how you made them feel.”

“In hospice and at end-of-life…the most important thing that you can do is be there for them,” Leyden said. “Don’t be distracted, really connect with them and help them with what they need.”

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Kristina Leyden, CEO of Richmond County Hospice, addresses the Rockingham City Council on Tuesday after a proclamation was issued to recognize November 2017 as “Hospice and Palliative Care Month.”
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_hospice_leyden.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Kristina Leyden, CEO of Richmond County Hospice, addresses the Rockingham City Council on Tuesday after a proclamation was issued to recognize November 2017 as “Hospice and Palliative Care Month.”

By Gavin Stone

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