December 17, 2020
To Our Partners at Community Home Health and Hospice, and the SW Washington Community:
Community Home Health and Hospice is a driving force within Southwest Washington, an agency that continues to progress their mission of compassionate and patient-focused home healthcare and hospice. We are grateful for their continued efforts and spotlight placed on innovation and collaboration within aging and vulnerable communities. But perhaps the greatest gift they offer to patients and their loved ones is comfort, space, and kindness via their hospice care centers, which offer dignified and empathetic end-of-life care for the residents of our larger community, easing the burden on loved ones and providing peace of mind to all involved. As such, please accept this formal letter of support for Community Home Health and Hospice and their endeavor to remodel their hospice care center in Longview, Washington (the first in the state). Kaiser Permanente Northwest is in frequent collaboration with Community Home Health and Hospice (CHHH), and highly endorses the actions, endeavors, and subsequent outcomes that this agency has realized.
Kaiser Permanente Northwest has a robust presence in SW Washington, featuring six medical office buildings offering primary care and a variety of specialty care, with two Kaiser Permanente hospitals in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, and three primary contracted hospitals (including Legacy Salmon Creek in Vancouver, and PeaceHealth St. Johns in Longview, where KPNW Care Coordinators, Navigators, and Hospitalists are embedded).
CHHH is one of the strongest regional partners of KPNW, and this relationship has been tremendously beneficial for our shared members. The majority of KPNW home health and hospice care needs in Cowlitz County (and many needs in Clark County as well) are referred to CHHH, and our agencies have an aligned goal with these shared members – to keep them happy, healthy, safe, and improve their quality of life (in whatever context that may take). Throughout the many programs CHHH offers, their outcomes have been excellent, seeing more and more patients able to stay out of the hospital and spend more time with their loved ones. Patient satisfaction scores, hospital readmission metrics, and improvements seen while under the care of CHHH employees have proven to be the benchmark for home health and hospice care, and inspirational for other agencies in the area.
In no environment is this more evident than their hospice care center in Longview, the first within Washington (opening in 1984) and the gold standard in hospice inpatient care. The facility, staff, and culture of this building have encouraged a higher standard of care throughout the state. Yet the past several decades have shown healthcare providers how care and service can be improved in the physical space, with patient needs suggesting changes in the room structure, building layout, entrance and exit needs, and private spaces, and it appears it is time for this building’s physical characteristics to now match the environment and culture that its loving staff and leadership continue to provide. KPNW highly endorses the physical remodel of the Longview Hospice Care Center, to be able to meet the needs, desires, and wants of all community members who may someday need this excellent service.
Ultimately, KPNW is most concerned and impassioned by the well-being of our members and community. Many of us may need the services that their care center provides; hence, having an updated, private, and spacious center for end-of-life care is a necessary piece of the care continuum. CHHH has made incredible strides in overall community health and culture by thinking creatively, holistically, and progressively. They are a truly innovative partner, and most importantly, they have the needs of our community at heart. Ultimately, our shared members are better because of it. Kaiser Permanente Northwest is inspired by this wonderful organization and thrilled to support them in this remodel.
Warmly,
John Kendrick
SW Washington Continuum of Care Director Kaiser Permanente NW
Original document: Kaiser Permanente Support Letter
