Columbus Hospice named employer of the year

Oncology Nursing Forum, Jan, 2007 by Diane M. Otte

The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN[R]) has announced that Columbus Hospice is the 2006 recipient of the Employer of the Year Award. The NBCHPN Employer of the Year Award recognizes the work of an employer who has provided exemplary, sustained support of the certification programs for hospice and palliative caregivers. The recipient is selected from eligible organizations and facilities within NBCHPN's Employer Support Program.

"Columbus Hospice serves as a model for hospices everywhere," said NBCHPN President Bonnie Morgan, RN, CHPN[R]. "The quality care they provide their patients, and their continued efforts to improve palliative nursing through certification and other means, demonstrates their ongoing commitment to superlative palliative care."

Established in 1979 to provide loving, compassionate care to people of all ages with life-limiting illnesses and their families, Columbus Hospice is the only community-based, nonprofit hospice serving 10 Georgia and 2 Alabama counties. Columbus Hospice is located in Columbus, GA, with a branch located in Phenix City, AL.

Columbus Hospice's primary focus is to provide coordinated care, enabling patients at the end of life to spend their final days at home with family and friends. Hospice services are provided in nursing homes, personal care homes, and retirement communities. Care also is provided in the hospice's 18-bed inpatient Columbus Hospice House. Whenever patients have special needs that cannot be met at home, they may be admitted to Columbus Hospice. Services provided by Columbus Hospice include social services, medication, medical supplies and equipment, respite care symptom management, spiritual care, bereavement counseling and support groups, home health aide services, dietary assessment, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

"Through this award, we are delighted to spotlight Columbus Hospice's outstanding work," said ONS member Judy Lentz, RN, MSN, NHA, executive director of NBCHPN. "The Hospice's commitment to excellence should serve as an inspiration to all those striving to enhance the quality of palliative care."

NBCHPN is part of the Alliance for Excellence in Hospice and Palliative Nursing, which includes the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation. Together, the organizations are working to lead the way in the advancement of the rapidly growing and increasingly important hospice and palliative care nursing specialty. For more information, visit www.nbchpn.org.