BCN Philanthropy Newsletter (Spring 2024)

Let’s Celebrate our Dedicated Volunteers!

As National Volunteer Week approaches on April 21-27, Bluegrass Care Navigators is recognizing and celebrating the profound impact our volunteers have on our mission and the patients and families we serve. Their selfless dedication is invaluable, and they foster meaningful connections that enhance the quality of life for our patients by providing administrative assistance, as well as support for patient care and bereavement services.

The history of volunteering in hospice care dates back to the very inception of the hospice movement itself. Rooted in the ethos of community support and care for the terminally ill, volunteers have always played an integral role in providing holistic end-of-life care. Their presence, whether offering a listening ear, a comforting hand, or a gentle smile, enriches the lives of patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses.

Did You Know? Medicare law requires that 5% of all hospice patient care hours come from volunteers.

This not only helps to maximize hospice resources, but also ensures that hospice providers, like Bluegrass Care Navigators, remain community oriented and focused on patient-family centered care.

2023 Volunteer Stats

272 active volunteers

13,215 total service hours

$354,822 in cost savings

34,395 Care and Bereavement Calls

2,319 patient visits

6.31% Medicare Match

Winter Weather Emergency Shelter Program Helps Participants in Need

Recently, we were able to extend a lifeline to an elderly gentleman experiencing homelessness and his significant other, who was also his primary caregiver. Hospitalized and experiencing significant weakness, the gentleman was also newly diagnosed with cancer and was unable to reside in an existing emergency shelter due to his care needs.

Since November, our innovative Winter Weather Emergency Shelter Program, has been able to provide a safe haven from the cold for individuals over 62 experiencing homelessness along with their entire household, as well as households containing at least one individual with a physical disability that prohibits them from entering the established emergency shelter system. This service offers a much-needed option for emergency shelter during the winter weather months.

Through this unique program, we provided emergency shelter at a local hotel for the gentleman and his caregiver. We assisted them with filling out an application for SNAP benefits and provided food for them in the interim. We arranged and paid for transportation via Uber Health to his medical appointments while he was getting setup with Medicaid transportation.

And as a result, he was able to receive the required procedures he needed and begin his chemotherapy treatments.

Working in close collaboration with the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention and local emergency shelters, our support extends beyond logistics and basic needs. The program has a distinctive staffing model that seamlessly integrates clinical, social, and spiritual teams that help provide support to individuals in this program.

Our social worker and nursing staff were both heavily involved in providing support and education as the gentleman’s caregiving needs changed. Ultimately, he was able to reconnect with his family who, realizing his condition and increasing care needs, welcomed him home.

As we followed-up with the gentleman, he expressed his deep appreciation for our services, and he shared that “I’m right where I need to be now”.

*This program was made possible thanks to support from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government through federal award numbers SLFRP0292/SLFRP3418 granted to LFUCG by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Beautiful Bouquets for our Northern Kentucky Patients

Check out these beautiful bouquets created by various members of the Boone County Garden Club! On the first Monday of each month, this group meets at our Northern Kentucky Regional Office to make these incredible arrangements that brighten the days for our patients and families. We are so very grateful for their ongoing support and dedication to Bluegrass Care Navigators!

BCN Receives Northern Kentucky NAACP Award

We were honored to receive the NAACP Dr. King Corporate Award on January 15 at the MLK Luncheon hosted by Northern Kentucky’s NAACP Branch. The award is presented to a business or corporation that demonstrates a commitment to diversity outreach events and serves the community beyond expectation. We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to providing ALL in our community with the healthcare they need. Congrats to our team for their outstanding work and focus on inclusivity!

Leave a Legacy through Beneficiary Designations

Visit our complimentary planned giving website to learn more about beneficiary designations and explore ways to plan your gift. plannedgiving. bgcarenav.org/beneficiary-designations

Help Reduce our Carbon Footprint!

You can make a legacy gift in a few easy steps by simply naming Bluegrass Care Navigators as a beneficiary on an existing asset you already own.

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:

• IRAs and retirement plans

• Life insurance policies

• Donor advised funds

• Commercial annuities

Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider’s website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

Don’t forget to let us know your goals for the gift by contacting Laura Klumb at lklumb@bgcarenav.org or 859.296.6865. That will help us ensure it is ultimately used as you prefer and will allow us the privilege of thanking you for your generosity.

Help us reduce our carbon footprint by opting to only receive our newsletter digitally. By switching to email communication, you not only contribute to a more sustainable future but also help us allocate more resources toward our mission of caring for patients and families in our community.

If you’d like to make the eco-friendly choice and receive our newsletters exclusively via email, reach out to us at give@bgcarenav.org.

You Answered the Call to Support of our Hospice Care Center in Hazard!

Wells Bluegrass Hospice Care Center in Hazard, KY. Because of this incredible support from our Caring Community, we have been able to re-stock our water and snack supplies that we keep available for families and friends visiting patients at the care center. It is simply amazing what can be accomplished when a community comes together to support each other!

Check out our other Wish List needs here:

bgcarenav.org/wishlists

April 16 is National Health Care Decision Day

We’re Taking Over Radios Again in London and Pikeville!

Throughout the day, you will hear stories from the families of patients as well as guests from the community. The staff and volunteers from Bluegrass Care Navigators will share additional information about hospice care and our other services. Please tune in, call in, and make a donation! Memorial messages will be read live on air for any donations we receive.

London Radio Day

June 4, 2024

KOOL Gold, WANV FM

bgcarenav.org/ london-radio-day

Pikeville Radio Day

June 11, 2024

Q95 FM, 95.5 FM!

bgcarenav.org/ pikeville-radio-day

Be sure that those around you are aware of your wishes regarding your healthcare if you become unable to speak for yourself. Make this April the time you create a plan! There are several resources to help you determine what matters to you and how to best approach these difficult conversations with loved ones who may become charged with your care. Scan the QR Code for additional information or talk with your healthcare provider about developing an advanced care plan. bgcarenav.org/advance-care-planning

Bluegrass PACE Care Helps Kentuckian to Walk Again

Several years ago, Barbara Harris needed to have her leg amputated due to poor circulation. After her surgery, she was given a prosthesis that was too heavy and didn’t fit correctly, leaving her unable to walk and isolated at home. “I love my home and I want to be there, but at the same time, you get tired of sitting in the house with nowhere to go and nothing to do,” Barbara said.

Thanks to our innovative care model at Bluegrass PACE Care, Barbara is now learning to take her first steps post-amputation!

“Bluegrass PACE Care is having a new prosthetic leg made for me, and they’re also giving me therapy to learn to walk with it, which is a big help,” she said. “I’m proud of my progress because the other leg, I couldn’t use; it was just a door stopper.”

Since enrolling in Bluegrass PACE Care, Barbara receives transportation to and from the Center, as well as to and from any appointments arranged by the PACE team. She has also found a new community outside of her home, made new friends, and receives patient-centered medical care.

Upon enrollment in PACE, participants and their caregivers meet with an interdisciplinary healthcare team that includes doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietitians, personal care aides and van drivers among others. This team develops an individualized care plan that addresses the participant’s needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“Bluegrass PACE Care has improved my quality of life by being able to get out of the house and socialize,” she said. “I feel younger, and I haven’t had this much get up and go in quite a few years,” Barbara said.

Cocktails and Conversation

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 5:30–7 p.m.

Hear from Barbara about how Bluegrass PACE Care is helping her walk again post-amputation.

youtube.com/watch?v=jNo98mUPuXc

Bluegrass PACE Care is all-inclusive healthcare that keeps Kentuckians aged 55+, who need support with two or more activities of daily life, such as meals, dressing, bathing or toileting, living safely at home. Bluegrass PACE Care provides a healthcare team and a customized plan to meet each participant’s needs. PACE participants receive medical and personal care, meals and social activities at the PACE Center in Lexington, Ky. Participants must live in Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Woodford or Anderson county. Learn more at bgcarenav.org/PACE or call 859.687.9410, 866.422.6722 or 800.648.6056 (TTY).

BLUEGRASS PACE CENTER – 2409 MEMBERS WAY, LEXINGTON KY 40504

Learn how Bluegrass PACE Care (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) delivers all-inclusive care to residents of Central Kentucky who want to continue to live at home, and how we help them do so safely with support from PACE. Come enjoy light refreshments, learn more about our PACE program, and find out how we are helping our Kentuckians maintain independence at home and in their communities through this innovative program.

RSVP to Cassi Kline: 859.276.4404 | ckline@bgcarenav.org

Casual Attire

We are grateful to be selected by Buffalo Trace Distillery as one of the non-profit organizations to receive funding through their Contribution to the Community program this year. This gift will go toward supporting our Integrative Medicine Program that provides a variety of complimentary therapies, such as music therapy, art therapy, massage therapy and animal-assisted therapy to our hospice and palliative patients and families. Thank you to Buffalo Trace Distillery for helping our Frankfort-area patients continue to benefit from a holistic, patient-centered approach to health and wellness with more positive patient outcomes.

A Gift that Brought Joy over the Holidays

At the end of 2023, we received a special donation from the Care Team at Hallway Feeds, which helped us bring comfort and joy during the holiday season. Because of their support, we were able to provide each patient in our UK Hospice Care Center and inpatient units in Lexington with a special holiday meal and a beautiful ornament that families could keep.

“Our parents were selfless givers in countless ways, and it is important for our family to continue that legacy of giving in their honor and memory.

We have been blessed beyond measure in so many instances and it seems the more we give, the more we receive.

It’s not about giving to get our names in lights, quite the contrary, it’s about doing what’s right and responding to requests that touch us to do so.

In 2023 the Robert and Bonnie Hall Employee Assistance Fund was established and has a three-pronged approach to giving. Administered by a “Care Team” at Hallway Feeds the fund serves our own employees who may face a hardship, community needs, and a broader philanthropic arm.

We think it’s only fitting that this fund serves as the source by which funds help those currently under hospice care. As a family we have seen first-hand the impact that hospice makes on patients

and patient families and our hope is that this donation will brighten Christmas for those who believe in peace and comfort as essential parts of a quality life.”

-Julia Hall, VP of First Impressions at Hallway Feeds

Shamrock Golf Tournament Check

A huge thank you goes to everyone who teed off for the 30th Annual Shamrock Bar and Grille Golf Tournament in August 2023, which raised $8,100 for Bluegrass Care Navigators. Year after year, this scramble has helped support Bluegrass Hospice and Grief Care, allowing our teams to bring moments of comfort, dignity, and peace to all we serve. We are grateful to CO and Heather Trump, owners of Shamrock Bar and Grille, for their continued support and commitment to our patients and our community.

Reed Family Floral Spreads the Love on Valentine’s Day!

We want to give a heartfelt thanks to Evan Sykes and Reed Family Floral in Virgie, KY for spreading love on Valentine’s Day to our hospice patients in Pike County by providing them with beautiful roses! These arrangements brought joy and smiles to so many, and your generosity is a reminder that love is a powerful force.

Art Therapy is Helping Patients Cope with Internalized Anxiety

Since we began offering Integrative Medicine in 2019, we have seen profound results in hospice patients, like Ronnie Stinnett, helping them with symptom management, and optimizing their comfort and well-being as they face serious illnesses.

Watch this video to learn more about Ronnie’s Story. youtube.com/watch?

v=G_-fs1xuXc8&t=6s

When Ronnie became a hospice patient with Bluegrass Care Navigators last year due to heart disease, the anxiety and depression he had experienced through much of his life worsened, leaving him feeling hopeless and overwhelmed.

“I didn’t have hope until I started with Bluegrass Care Navigators, and they helped me change for the better,” said Ronnie.

Thanks to our art therapy team, we helped Ronnie find color in a world that had previously been gray through guided exercises that specifically focused on using art to manage his anxiety that had been exacerbated by shortness of breath.

“It’s a tool that I think Ronnie was able to use and gave him a sense of control, purpose, and participation in his own wellness,” said Whitney Clay, BCN Integrative Medicine Program Coordinator.

Did you know that many hospice organizations don’t have the ability to offer programs like Integrative Medicine?

Complimentary therapies like these aren’t reimbursed by government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, or by private insurance. Instead, BCN is only able to provide innovative services like art therapy for patients and families through the continued support from our Caring Community!

Serving Kentucky since 1978

Mark your calendars on May 7, 2024, for KY Gives Day, and show your support for a local nonprofit organization that means the most to you! This extraordinary day of generosity and community spirit is an opportunity for Kentuckians to unite in support of organizations, like Bluegrass Care Navigators, that make our communities stronger and more vibrant.

On KY Gives Day, you have the power to make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need. By supporting Bluegrass Care Navigators, you’re not just contributing to an organization; you’re helping us deliver compassion, dignity, and peace of mind to individuals and families navigating difficult journeys.

Your donation, no matter the size, will have a profound impact:

• $25 can provide essential comfort items for a hospice patient.

• $50 can help cover the cost of medication for a patient in need.

• $100 can provide complimentary therapies to patients through Integrative Medicine.

• $250 can support a series of counseling sessions for a grieving family member.