Cornerstone VNA Caregiver Cafés return to in-person
ROCHESTER — Cornerstone VNA announced that their monthly Caregiver Cafés have returned to meeting in-person once again. The Caregiver Cafés are a collaborative effort between Cornerstone VNA and four local libraries in Farmington, Newington, Dover, and Strafford. Family caregivers and their loved ones are invited to attend for an hour of support, conversation, and education.
In the Spring of 2020, the Caregiver Cafés transitioned to a virtual format, keeping local family caregivers connected and supported throughout the pandemic. The monthly virtual Caregiver Café provided a sense of camaraderie particularly during a time of tremendous isolation to an already extremely isolated sector of the community. In the words of a virtual caregiver attendee, “I always feel less alone after one of our café sessions.”
Janice Howard, Cornerstone VNA Life Care-Private Duty Director states, “it is so important for caregivers to meet socially to share and validate their experience in their journey caring for a loved one or a friend. We are so happy to announce a return to face-to-face Caregiver Cafés to better support the caregivers of our communities.”
The Goodwin Library in Farmington was the first Caregiver Café that launched in 2017 and now meets the third Friday of each month at 1 p.m. The Langdon Library in Newington was the second Caregiver Café location established prior to COVID-19 and has now resumed meeting in-person on the third Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m.
The newest additions to the Caregiver Cafés are the Dover Public Library in Dover, which will be meeting each third Wednesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Joining Dover with a new café is Hill Library in Strafford. Their café meets on the second Wednesday of each month, with the next meeting being held on Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Complete details and any changes due to holidays or weather can be found at www.cornerstonevna.org/calendar.
Wentworth-Douglass awards $25K grant to address youth homelessness
DOVER — Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has awarded a $25,000 community benefit grant to Waypoint to assist in the creation of a Drop-In Center in Rochester, which will allow the nonprofit organization to reach more homeless youth in the Seacoast region.
Homelessness is a growing problem in the communities that Wentworth-Douglass serves and can have a wide-range of negative health outcomes.
“We believe these important programs will have a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of vulnerable youth and young adults experiencing homelessness within our community, and that the development of these services are well aligned with needs identified in our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment,” said Michelle Hanson, RN, director of strategic planning and community benefit at Wentworth-Douglass.
Waypoint seeks to limit the amount of time that youth remain homeless by providing intervention and prevention. The Rochester Drop-In Center will provide a safe, judgment free place for youth to access basic needs while building trusting relationships with staff. Youth at the center will have access to food, clothing, technology, educational resources, and connections to multiple supportive services.
“With increasing homelessness among youth in our community, more services are needed. We are so thankful to Wentworth-Douglass for joining us in this effort to open a new Drop-in Center in Rochester that will mean more youth are able to access the support they need to find a path out of homelessness,” said Mandy Lancaster, senior program manager of youth services at Waypoint.
The Rochester Drop-In Center is located at 3 Wallace Street and Waypoint expects an average of 125 youth to access the center each year.
In addition to the Drop-in Center, Waypoint provides street outreach in areas youth are known to congregate and provides crisis response. Services are designed to assist youth in leaving the streets, making healthy choices, and building trusting relationships.
Waypoint provides street-based outreach in Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth, Exeter, and Hampton – the five most populated communities in the service area and areas which are known to have larger numbers of youth experiencing homelessness. In the remaining greater Seacoast area, Waypoint provide services via a Street Outreach Van, in areas youth are known to congregate, such as train stations and parks, allowing for outreach in the less-populated communities.
The funds donated are approved by the Wentworth-Douglass Community Benefit Funding Disbursement Committee and are not raised through any public or private donations.
HCA New Hampshire Hospitals awarded ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from National Group for Patient Safety
ROCHESTER AND PORTSMOUTH — Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Portsmouth Regional Hospital were each awarded an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction celebrates the hospitals’ achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable harm and errors.
“Patient safety is always a top priority at our hospitals,” said Beth York, VP of Quality for Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Frisbie Memorial Hospital. “Our medical staff and support teams have an unwavering commitment to patient safety and to our mission focused on the care and improvement of human life. Receiving the Leapfrog Hospital Safety ‘A’ Grade for our three New Hampshire HCA Healthcare hospitals is a validation of the commitment our entire staff makes to the communities we serve every day, and demonstrates how we continue to be a leader for patient safety in New Hampshire.”
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital teams should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”
To see Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.
Wentworth-Douglass awarded “A” Grade for Safety
DOVER — Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has been awarded an “A” grade for safety by the Leapfrog Group, an independent, national not-for-profit watchdog organization. The announcement was made on Wednesday.
“Nothing is more important at Wentworth-Douglass than patient safety and this is a testament to our staff’s steadfast commitment to that,” said Jeff Hughes, President & CEO of Wentworth-Douglass. “I’m proud that our culture of safety is reflected not just in this award, but in everything we do.”
The Leapfrog Group has a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public.
“Patient safety is at the center of everything we do, so I’m grateful that this award is reflective of our culture,” said Dr. Gregg Meyer, President of Mass General Brigham’s Community Division. “It’s a testament to the outstanding staff at Wentworth-Douglass and their consistent, unwavering commitment to patient safety – no matter the challenges.”
Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”
The full grade details for hospitals are available online at HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
