A financial boost is on the way for Vancouver’s PeaceHealth Hospice.
In November, 100 Women Who Care Clark County selected the program for its quarterly donation. The donation to the hospice program should be about $10,000. Christie Ribary, who founded 100 Women in February, said the funds will be presented to the program in the next couple of weeks.
Sonjia Hauser, an assistant clinical manager with the hospice program, and Alysha Goodwin, an admissions hospice registered nurse, said donations such as 100 Women’s can help their program provide special touches for patients and families.
The hospice program’s mission is to provide care at the end-of-life stage and ensure patients can die peacefully, but also live in peace. As Hauser explained, “They don’t stop living just because they’re dying.”
“We’re not only supporting our patients, but we are supporting our families so they are our patients as well,” Goodwin added.
Hauser said the funds could be used to throw a birthday party for a patient who doesn’t have family or friends, or provide housing for some patients. She also explained that the program gives out many gift cards to help patients afford things, such as groceries they couldn’t afford otherwise.
About a month ago, the program gave gas and McDonald’s gift cards to a patient so he and his wife could visit their beachside proposal spot to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The patient died just three weeks after that trip.
“To be able to give those things that budgets just don’t cover for patients is amazingly, indescribably sweet,” Hauser said.
The program also used funds to pay for mother-son movie dates for a 6-year-old boy in the pediatric hospice program. The boy was a big fan of superheroes; every other Friday the boy and his mom would see a superhero movie together.
“It was a wonderful time that the mom got to spend with the son. She couldn’t afford to do that,” Hauser said. “That’s a memory she’s never going to lose.”
