Boquete Health and Hospice January Newsletter

[Boquete Health and Hospice]

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Table of Contents: •  Letter from our President •  2020 Recap  2021 Plans •  Additional Administrator & New Equipment Team Leaders •  First Aid at Home & Being Prepared Meetings •  Thank You •  Database Help Needed •  General Meeting •  Have a Truck? •  We are Here for You •  Being Prepared •  Link to Covid Information •  Gift of Life Blood Drive •  Gift of Life Matching Fund •  Magic of Music •  Tree of Life •  Our Mission Letter from Our President Welcome to 2021!  We hope you and your loved ones had a safe, healthy and peaceful holiday.   Please continue to practice safe habits as there has been a significant increase in Covid-19 cases since the middle of November.  The number of new cases is slowly dropping, but can surge again if everyone is not careful. 2020 Recap and 2021 Plans Even though there were major challenges to providing services to the community last year, Boquete Health and Hospice accomplished a great deal, for which I wish to thank all our volunteers.  Some of the highlights were:   Abbreviated training program created and started Training of new members (16) held Panel Discussion video completed Being Prepared materials updated and printed (400 printed so far) Administrator interview video completed and on web site. Donation of Surgical Masks, N95 Masks, Face Shields and Disposable Gowns to CSS  (Policlinicia) and Alfa Clinic, Clinicia Especializada and Dra. Boya Blood Donor Caravan (March 7, 2020) Donation of $300 to the New Blood Donor Center in David Initiation of the Tree of Life program to thank donors and volunteers. Donation of $1314 worth of food and clothes to those affected by Hurricane Eta Silent Art Auction On January 6, the Council met to discuss initiatives for the new year.  In summary form, our hopes for the community are: Update the Being Prepared guides, and have regular presentations to the community. Being Prepared guide – Spanish version. Compile a list of resources for handling grief and stress. The Tree of Life will show donations by year by using color.   Art Auction (currently planned for September). Caregivers Support Program. Update how BHH trains new volunteers. Two blood drives (Mar 6 and June 12) with a goal of 45 pints and Matching Funds. Administrator Team Leader for Potrerillos Create a comprehensive database for BHH data. Additional Administrator and New Equipment Team Leaders It is with great joy that BHH welcomes Char L. as our third Administrator, joining Bev T. and Craig G.  The Administrator Team will now be able to function without overloading any one person.   We also want to welcome as Equipment Team Leaders, Sally Z. and John F.  Both have been involved with equipment for quite a while.  Sela B. will be taking a break.  After nine years of heading the team, it is well-deserved and we thank you for everything you have done.   Thank You's that were missed in the last newsletter! There is a group of people that I neglected to thank in the last newsletter.  In January these wonderful volunteers assisted in training our new members.  Their contributions to training our new volunteers are vital to the organization. Beverly Stearns Lesley Hughes Craig Gatrel Deborah Hanna Doug Remsen Bev Tyler Char Lintz Liz Bolt Chuck High Linda Hart Linda Archer Rona True Thank you all.   HELP NEEDED Boquete Health and Hospice currently is maintaining several databases (some in Excel and some in Word).  We would like to have one central place for all the data, have an easy way to enter the data and be able to run reports off of it.  If you, or anyone you know, is capable of this task, please contact Lesley Hughes to discuss.   THANK YOU. Contact Lesley General Meeting – January 13 The first meeting of the year and the second Zoom meeting was held to announce the election of the following members of the Council and the approval of the Administrators.  For 2021, the following are voting members of the Boquete Hospice and Health Foundation:     President – Lesley Hughes     Vice President – Liz Bolt     Treasurer – Merl Will-Wallace     Secretary – John Ferguson     Administrator – Bev Tyler     Past President – Laurie Collier The following are Administrators:     Bev Tyler     Craig Gatrel     Char Lintz Change to the By-Laws It was felt that during a prolonged medical emergency, a formal process of admitting new members to Boquete Health and Hospice would be helpful, so an amendment to the By-Laws was proposed to the Council on January 6, 2021.  It passed unanimously.  It was then presented to the membership during the January 13 general meeting.   The amendment reads: During a prolonged medical situation when in-person training is inadvisable, any person vetted by the Training/Membership Team Leader, who has interest in joining the organization, may be given provisional membership status.  When training is possible, the person must complete the three-day training to attain full membership status.  While a provisional member, they may participate on Teams and contribute to the operation of Boquete Hospice and Health Foundation, but they may not vote on matters that come before the membership or visit patients except in the company of a trained volunteer.    Have a truck?  We need you! BHH has a number of hospital beds that we loan to people who need them.   In normal times (not COVID) we usually deliver and assemble the bed at the person’s house.  The bed fits in the back of a pick-up.   If you are willing to help with this important job, contact Sally Zigmond at 507-6714-0737 or click the button below to send an email, Contact Sally Watch a Short Video of Our Services Get Your PDF Guide - Donate Link to information from the New England Journal of Medicine about Covid-19 and Vaccines The link below goes to the New England Journal of Medicine.  The article contains information about the latest research and frequently asked questions about the disease and the various vaccines that are being manufactured.  No recommendations about any treatment/vaccine are given. Goto New England Journal Article Join the Matching Fund Donate Blood The Magic of Music Our music team includes Val Strahl, Beverly Stearns.  This team will provide music to any of our BHH patients who request it.  We will ask you to tell us about your favorite music, and then create a personalized playlist for you.  This is a lending program and we will lend you a small digital music player so that you can listen to this personalized music using earbuds. We could lend you cd’s if you prefer.  Music can bring back memories, take our mind off our worries and pains and sometimes change our moods too.  This program serves all patients recovering from illness, surgery or a fall, but it may especially help those with Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Click Here to Enlarge Tree Many Thanks to Our Donors

Our Mission Our mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services.   To Make a Donation  BHHF functions with donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace,our treasurer,at dharma49@icloud.com to arrange a time and place to pick up your donation. You can also click here to make an online Paypal donation. For more information visit our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks  Please Like our page and share the contents with your family and friends.   Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. To Contact Us   Hospice/Health:  (507) 6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday    Please! Blood Donor Program:  WhatApp (507)-6590-2000 or call (507)-6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday, Please. Email:  info@boquetehealth.org