Village Hospice Achieves Highest Level of National Veterans Program
Village Hospice has achieved the highest possible rank of “5 Stars” in We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The progression to Level 5 – the highest level of the program – demonstrates their strong commitment to veteran-centric hospice care in the Greater Kansas City area and beyond.
As a partner, Village Hospice provides specialized end-of life care to veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness. They see patients where they live – at home, in hospitals, assisted living or nursing homes – in multiple counties surrounding Kansas City – and on the John Knox Village Life Plan Community campus in Lee’s Summit, MO
Their entire team has undergone training about how to approach conflict-specific medical and mental health concerns, how to assist veterans and their families to navigate VA (Veterans Affairs) benefits, and providing a Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer program that connects hospice patients with peers who share an understanding of military life.
“I am proud of our Village Hospice family for not only wanting to be a part of the We Honor Veterans program, but for wanting to be the best at it,” said Ketti Dawson, administrator. “Village Hospice is committed to providing our veterans with respect and dignity and to meet their unique needs, clinically and socially. For example, having the ability to officially ‘welcome home’ a Vietnam veteran on behalf of their country when they enter our hospice program gives me goose bumps. For many of the Vietnam veterans, this provides much-needed closure; so knowing we can do this for them is humbling.”
Karen Bunce, MSW, Village Hospice social worker, and a veteran herself, said, “Having a program that honors veterans reminds me that our time served continues to matter and the culture WE lived will never be forgotten.”
NHPCO and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to address the growing need for veteran-centered care, especially as veterans from different eras are aging and need access to veteran-centric palliative and hospice care. Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program at www.WeHonorVeterans.org.
Village Hospice is a service of John Knox Village. For more information, call 816-525-0986.
Learn more about Village Hospice’s programs and services at www.jkv.org/hospice.