Scoring Big: Impacting Patient Experience Through Volunteer Services

Description

It’s no secret…for decades, volunteers have provided added value to hospice programs.  From tuck-in and quality check calls to specialized services such as Reiki and pet therapy, volunteers provide significant added value!   Through volunteers, we provide patients and caregivers with an additional layer of communication and support as well as visits and human touch.  Explore options to expand your volunteer team’s complementary services and create a game plan to improve patient experience.

Learning Outcomes:

• • • Identify opportunities to expand volunteer services beyond the traditional administrative, bereavement and patient care roles.
    • Recognize that complementary services can maximize the support your hospice offers to the patients and families in your care.
    • Understand how volunteer programs can positively impact multiple quality measures.

Faculty:

Diane Santostefano, MBA, EOLD, NEDA Proficient

Diane Santostefano, MBA, EOLD, NEDA Proficient, holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut. She has thirty-five years of experience in team building, strategic planning, leadership, recruitment, training and public speaking in corporate, educational and nonprofit settings. For the past five years, Diane has worked as the Hospice Program Volunteer Coordinator and member of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Steering Committee at Middlesex Health System in Middletown, Connecticut. She is a member of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) and served on the Board of Directors as Membership Committee Chair and Vice President from 2020 – 2022. She is currently a member of the NHPCO Volunteer Management Steering Committee. Diane is passionate about normalizing conversations regarding end-of-life planning and care so others can navigate these issues in a way that is most meaningful to them.

Nancy Oxenhandler, MRP

Nancy holds a B.A. in geography and sociology from Clark University, and a Master’s degree in Regional Planning from University of Massachusetts/Amherst. A Connecticut Yankee by birth, a Coloradan by choice, Nancy has lived in Colorado Springs since 1986. Her first experience in end-of-life care came when her mom was so well-cared for by hospice in 2004. Following her mother’s death, Nancy became a volunteer for a couple of local hospices, and soon after took on the professional role of Volunteer Coordinator for Evercare Hospice which eventually became Compassus Hospice and Palliative Care. She has been a hospice Volunteer Coordinator for almost 19 years and currently leads the Volunteer Coordinator Workgroup at Compassus, providing best practices and training and mentoring to the company’s approximately 100 Volunteer Coordinators. Nancy has twice been a mentor to new Volunteer Coordinators through the NHPCO mentorship program and joined the NHPCO Volunteer Management Steering Committee in 2023. Prior to her career with hospice, Nancy worked for the City of Colorado Springs for more than 15 years as a senior analyst/planner in the Police Department and the Budget Department, and at one time owned and operated a haunted bed and breakfast.

Available Credits for this webinar:
After participating in the live webinar, participants must pay the CE/CME fee and complete an evaluation to receive their selected CE credit. To earn social work credit, participants must also complete a 10-question quiz with a 70 percent passing score. Credit hours and availability are subject to change.

• • • 1 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit
    • 1 Nurse Contact Hours
    • 1 Social Work credit

For full accreditation statements and credit information, please visit the Volunteer Management Webinar Miniseries page.

Register