In the News

Care Dimensions Wins National Circle of Life Award for Palliative and End-of-Life Care

               First Healthcare Provider in New England to Receive Honor
 
July 24, 2015 – Care Dimensions, formerly Hospice of the North Shore & Greater Boston, has been selected as the Winner of the prestigious 2015 Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of Life Care, a national program sponsored by the American Hospital Association and other leading healthcare organizations.

Care Dimensions was recognized for integrating palliative care throughout the healthcare continuum, for providing a broad range of services, for its outreach  to traditionally underserved communities and for training current future healthcare professionals, so that people living with advanced illnesses receive compassionate and expert end-of-life care.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s premier hospice and palliative care organizations,” said Care Dimensions President and CEO Diane Stringer. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers who for more than 35 years have provided the highest quality care to terminally ill patients and patients their families as they face one of life’s greatest challenges.”

Some of the noted innovative elements of Care Dimensions program include:

• Specialized clinical programs for patients with advanced cardiac and pulmonary diseases and dementia.
• Unique support programs designed to assist particular populations including children, Veterans, developmentally disabled adults, Jewish patients, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients.
• Early access that allows patients to have curative and hospice care at the same time.
• A comprehensive palliative care service to provide pain and symptom management and goals of care conversations to patients in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and at home.
• An extensive education program offering more than 45 continuing education courses for nurses, social workers, case managers and aides.
• Training for the next generation of clinicians, including medical students and fellows, and interns in nursing, social work, and chaplaincy.
• A comprehensive grief support program for anyone in the community who has experienced a loss.

This is the 16th year for the Circle of Life Award. Major sponsors are the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization/National Hospice Foundation. The awards are cosponsored by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association; the Hospice & Palliative Care Credentialing Center and the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation; and the National Association of Social Workers. The Circle of Life Award is a program administered by the Health Research & Educational Trust. The 2015 awards are supported, in part, by the California HealthCare Foundation and the Cambia Health Foundation. Circle of Life nominations were received and reviewed by a selection committee that included leaders from medicine, nursing, social work and health administration.

About Care Dimensions

Care Dimensions is largest hospice provider to adults and children with advanced illness in Massachusetts. As a non-profit, community-based leader in advanced illness care, Care Dimensions provides comprehensive hospice, palliative care, grief support and teaching programs in more than 90 communities in Eastern Massachusetts. Care Dimensions employs over 400 staff and has nearly 400 volunteers, and provides care to 140 palliative care patients and 650 hospice patients each day. Founded in 1978 as Hospice of the North Shore, Care Dimensions cares for patients – in their homes, in long-term care and assisted living communities, in hospitals and at our Kaplan Family Hospice House – throughout all stages of advanced illness.  Learn more at www.CareDimensions.org. 

About the American Hospital Association

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information visit the website at www.aha.org.

For more information on the Circle of Life Award, visit www.aha.org/circleoflife.

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