In response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley is working diligently to keep up to date on federal and state mandates as it pertains to essential healthcare services.

Following guidance from the CDC and the New York State Department of health, additional precautions have been put in place to ensure the safety of our patients and families receiving care from both Hospice and Advanced Illness Management (AIM). While some changes are necessary to reduce the risk of exposure and spread of this virus, the team at Hospice and Palliative Care remains committed to providing care for those affected by advanced illness and grief at this time. The safety of patients, families, staff and the community will continue to be our focus in the days going forward.

Following social distancing recommendations, all interactions with the public in the community and at the Hospice Center have been halted and the building is closed to outside visitors. This includes all scheduled presentations, Lunch & Learns, Board and committee meetings, the Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition Breakfast, Tastes on the River and Dueling Pianos.  In addition, grief support groups have been postponed and individual counseling will take place via phone until further notice.  When it is safe to resume or reschedule events, this information will be communicated to the public as effectively as possible.  More information on care and services provided is available by calling the Hospice office at 315-265-3105.

Upstate University Hospital opens Central New York regional triage line for COVID-19.  315-464-3979

Upstate University Hospital has opened a regional triage line dedicated to public questions about COVID-19.  The line is open 24 hours.

The line will be staffed with volunteers from across the Upstate campuses, and a health care provider will be available at all times to assist with triaging calls.

If a member of the public has coronavirus-related questions, is showing possible symptoms, or may have had an exposure to someone diagnosed with a positive case of COVID-19, they would call this line to be guided on next steps.

This line is for non-911 calls.  The triage line will serve the following counties: Onondaga, Cayuga, Oswego, Madison, Cortland, Chenango, Tompkins, Tioga, Broome, Oneida, Herkimer, Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence.

We are providing the following links so you can access the most credible, up to date information about the pandemic globally, nationally and here at home.

St. Lawrence County Public Health

New York State Department of Health

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

The World Health Organization (WHO)

 

Ted Talks are inspiring, thought-provoking, educational and just plain enjoyable!  Every so often we will post Ted Talks we think will be interesting, motivating, moving or fun.  This month the Ted Talk is by Jim McDermott, discussing reasons to complete Advance Directives sooner rather than later.

Related Reading: New Thinking on End of Life Planning

Do you wonder what to say to someone who’s grieving?  The following links will help you identify the most effective ways to speak to those grieving loss in their life and what not to say and why.

What’s Your Grief? 64 of the Worst Things Ever Said to a Griever
What’s Your Grief? 64 of the Best Things Ever Said to a Griever

Keepsakes is a new Life Legacy and Bereavement program  Hospice is pleased to bring to all residents of St. Lawrence County. Through this easy-to-use, web-based program, you and your loved ones can create and share life stories and experiences for future generations, record and deliver video messages to loved ones now or in the future, and stay in touch or leave words of encouragement with message boards.

Keepsakes is a free service that we hope will bring peace, comfort and support while encouraging families to have conversations around end-of-life issues.

The program will launch during November 2018, National Hospice Month, so check back here to find out how you and your family can begin using Keepsakes!