A big thank you goes to all of our partners and supporters who attended the ground breaking ceremony on June 24!
We heard comments from Chuck Frandson, Rainbow Hospice Foundation President; Randy Knox, Capital Campaign Chairman & Foundation Board Chair; Karen Carrig, Rainbow Hospice Care President & CEO; Vicki Zick and Mark Johnsrud, Village of Johnson Creek; and Dr. Jim Milford, UWHP - Lake Mills & RHC Associate Medical Director.
It has been a long road of planning and it was great to share this momentous occasion where our dreams have become reality.
In case you missed the ceremony, see the videos below...
Providing comfort, care, and meaning at the end of life
Rainbow Hospice Care is a community based non-profit hospice organization that helps terminally ill patients and their loved ones maintain quality of life even at the end of life—offering compassionate, expert care thatfocuses on comfort, dignity, and peace.
For nearly 20 years, the skilled professionals andvolunteers at Rainbow Hospice Care have provided a full spectrum of physical,spiritual and emotional end-of-life care to persons living in Jefferson County,Wisconsin, as well as surrounding communities located in Dane, Dodge, Rock,Walworth and Waukesha counties.
If you or a loved one resides in this area, Rainbow HospiceCare is your hospice. We are accessible to all terminally ill patients andtheir families living here—regardless of age, race, religion or gender, type ofillness, insurance coverage or economic status. We treat all of our patientsand their families with the same respect, kindness and concern—while alsoaddressing the unique needs and wishes of each individual.
Whatever your situation, we encourage you learn more aboutthe high-quality end-of-life care resources available to you now. Even if youdon’t have an immediate need, wean help you feel more comfortable by increasingyour awareness and understanding so that you can make well informed choices when the time comes.
We invite you to explore the Main Menu items listed on theleft side of the screen and check out the Rainbow Hospice Highlights listedbelow. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to give usa call at (920) 674-6255 and we’ll be delighted to assist you.
One Step Closer Website Launches
Awebsite for the end-of-life care documentary film being produced by RainbowHospice Care’s Mike Bernhagen and his friend, TerryKaldhusdal, is now operational. Please take some timeto visit www.onestepcloserfilm.org. While there, you can learn about Mike and Terry’s personal calling to theproject, view a trailer for the film, meet some of the very special peoplethey’ve been privileged to interview, and make a tax-deductible donation to theRainbow Hospice Foundation that will help ensure the film’s message isheard. More importantly, if you like what you see there, tell yourfamily, friends and colleagues. Our goal is to receive donations from all50 states in the union. Both individual and corporate donations arewelcome.
The Road to Rainbow
The ground was finally broken on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009, as supporters of the Rainbow Hospice Inpatient Facility gathered to celebrate a monumental step.
According the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), Section 1233 (pp. 424-434) of the House Ways and Means Committee version of health care reform contains a new Medicare provision to allow coverage for an Advance Care Planning Consultation. This provision is intended to offer Medicare beneficiaries an opportunity to engage in an informed and focused conversation with their health care practitioner about advance care planning options. This consultation would be in addition to the "Welcome to Medicare" physician consultation.
Advance Care Planning consultations, like other consultations within the Medicare system, would be voluntary and would be reimbursable under Medicare when provided no more than once every five years, or whenever a patient undergoes a qualifying event, such as a life threatening or terminal diagnosis, chronic disease diagnosis; or admission to a long-term care facility, a skilled nursing facility, or a hospice program.
Topics that are covered during the consultation include:
An explanation by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps and suggested people to talk to.
An explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses.
An explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.
The provision, by the practitioner, of a list of national and state-specific resources to assist consumers and their families with advance care planning, including the national toll-free hotline, the advance care planning clearinghouses, and State legal services organization.
An explanation of the end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice.
The Advance Care Planning Consultation is not mandatory. No one is required to undergo the consultation.
Every Day's a Gift
We at Rainbow Hospice Care believe that every day of life is a gift, especially for those who are suffering from life-limiting illnesses. Our goal is to provide quality palliative care while at the same time empowering our patients and their families to make informed choices in care that best meet their individual needs. We offer assistance with pain reduction and symptom management, address emotional concerns and provide spiritual help when requested. Our professional team members, consisting of medical directors, nurses, nursing aides, social workers, clergy and trained volunteers, work closely with our patients and their families to ease suffering and bring quality of life to those precious final days.
It is an honor to be able to serve the people in our communities in this capacity and we can count it a privilege to be invited into our patients' lives at such a crucial time.
Questions about our service area? Rainbow Hospice currently cares for patients in Jefferson county and the surrounding counties of Dane, Dodge, Rock, Walworth and Waukesha. See our Service Area link under the About Us menu on the left to view an approximate map of our service area. You can also call us at 920.674.6255 or, if long distance from Jefferson, toll free at 888.493.8276.
