Hospice of Santa Cruz County Partners To Host Symposium for Veterans

Sept. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Scotts Valley- Hospice of Santa Cruz County (HSCC) is partnering with area healthcare organizations to host a symposium on September 13 from 8:15 am to 4:15 pm for veterans, their families and healthcare providers. The symposium is part of HSCC’s We Honor Veterans program and features topics to help veterans learn about end of life care and support. One out of every four dying Americans is a Veteran. That’s 1,800 people a day; more than 680,000 Veterans every year.

“We want to ensure, as hospice providers, we are meeting the needs of this heroic population,” said Michael Milward, chief executive officer, Hospice of Santa Cruz County. “Through our We Honor Veterans Program we are working to educate our Veteran Community to increase awareness of and access to the compassionate and expert end of life care we offer.” Hospice’s focus is to provide comfort and support at the end of life. This philosophy of care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

“At Hospice of Santa Cruz County we are training our clinical teams to recognize the special needs our Vets may have and to engage, honor and recognize the Veterans we serve,” said Milward.

James Hallenbeck, MD, director of palliative care services and associate chief of staff, Extended Care VA Palo Alto HCS will be a featured speaker. He will be speaking on Veteran Community Partnerships – Working Together to Care for Those Who Served. The symposium will also focus on veteran benefits, protection from fraud and community resources. Col. Stanley Jones, director of health care services, California Department of Veterans Affairs will also be featured. Ronnie Riveria, LVN Hospice of Santa Cruz & Veteran will be addressing Providing End of Life Care and Support for the Veterans.

The symposium will take place at The University Center at CSUMB, 100 Campus Center in Seaside and admission is free for veterans and their families. General registration is $30 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. CEUs are available for nurses. Attendees can register online at www.hospicesantacruz.org. The symposium is funded by the Hospice Foundation. Central Coast VNA and Hospice is a symposium partner.

ABOUT HSCC: Hospice of Santa Cruz County is the oldest and only non-profit hospice serving Santa Cruz and northern Monterey counties. Since 1978 we have cared for more than 14,000 individuals facing seri­ous illness as well as their The care that HSCC provides helps patients live more fully at the end of life by providing care, comfort, support, enhancing dignity and support­ing personal choices on how to live with their illness.