Almost 15 years ago, a group of entrepreneurs and some nurses got together to form this organization now known as Nurses Plus with the primary intent of providing health care to patients in their residences and getting patients and families independent with their care. However, in the late 1990's with institution of the Balanced Budget Act, the home health industry was negatively impacted and Nurses Plus, as with a many other free-standing home health agencies, was not spared. The group was beset with the decision to give up or continue with a majority opting for the latter.
It was at this time, that a husband and wife team decided to take over and keep Nurses Plus going. In the years that followed, despite tough competition, Nurses Plus continued to command a strong presence in the community as it had become known for its personalized care to their patients. This was the standard that was set by one energetic and dedicated lady, who, being a nurse herself was very much actively involved in the care of the patients, the true epitome of a Nurse entrepreneur as many of you who had known her, our beloved, Carmelita Z. Mabini.
As Nurses Plus home health continued to evolve so did its patient population; and faced with the constraints set by governmental regulations on the scope of care of home health agencies, the organization had to explore diversification / higher levels of care. Considering the evolving needs of its patients, hospice seemed the obvious direction to follow.
Carmelita Z. Mabini RN, BSN
Almost four years ago, Nurses Plus Hospice became an idea and wheels started to roll to get hospice going, Two years later on March 30, 2005, Nurses Plus Hospice was granted its license to operate by the Department of Health Services. Thereafter, Nurses Plus Hospice began an even lengthier and arduous trek for Medicare certification. During this period, Nurses Plus was beset by transitions, the most significant of which is the unexpected passing of Carmelita who was then the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services.
With this transition, organizational change was inevitable and Nurses Plus Hospice underwent a program and divisional overhaul. Due to the delay/ bureaucratic red tape in awaiting Medicare Certification Survey through the Department of Health Services, the board decided to seek Medicare certification through deemed status with the Joint Commission. The challenging task of selecting the right people to be in the team who will share the same vision and who will espouse our mission of INDIVIDUALIZED, COMPASSIONATE, ETHICAL and RESPONSIVE CARING and setting the foundation of Nurses Plus Hospice got underway.
The Journey continues...
Countless hours of brainstorming sessions, strategic planning and program evaluations had been conducted, patient care and quality supplemental care discussions had been undertaken which can get very heated at times – all because of the passion of the men and women in the organization to actualize the philosophy of hospice care – as so appropriately stated by the pioneer of hospice care herself Dame Cicely Saunders that we are here to support our patients and their families because they " ... matter up to the last moment of their lives and we will do all we can not only to help them die peacefully, but to LIVE until [they] die."
This past year Nurses Plus Hospice continued to evolve, we developed and expanded our Community Outreach Program through participation in health fairs, provision of services and education to health organizations, participation in Community Emergency Response Training and recently, the establishment of a relationship with the City of Cerritos. We had the honor and privilege of having the distinguished Mayor of the City of Cerritos, Mayor Laura Lee grace our National Hospice Month celebration at which time we expressed/reaffirmed our commitment to be a health care partner for the City and the community. This year, we also had our first memorial service, our first Celebration of Life – A Remembrance for our patients who had passed on and for the loved ones of our colleagues. This is the first of an annual event that Nurses Plus Hospice will be conducting.
Joint Commission Accreditation
But the biggest hurdle we challenged this year, was, finally after a long wait, and tremendous financial sacrifice for which our PRES/CEO Alex Mabini had to bite the bullet, and bit hard he did – was the validation given us by the surveyor, one of the proponents of the Medicare Hospice benefit – the approval for Joint Commission Accreditation AND the recommendation for the much coveted Medicare Certification.
Alex Mabini, President/CEO
Undoubtedly, we would not have been able to accomplish this without the unwavering support and recommendations of our Medical Director, Dr. Cary Stewart, and most especially the dedication and passion of our interdisciplinary group, our clinical staff headed by our Director of Patient Care Services/C.O.O., Conchita Sam, our support staff and volunteers.
Conchita Sam, DPCS/COO, RN, MN
We had truly been blessed. We acknowledge the support and faith of the doctors who referred their patients to us and our colleagues in healthcare industry who were willing to give us the opportunity to serve the patients and their families. Because of your faith in us, we were able to get to where we are now. We continue and will continue to strive to improve our care and reaffirm our commitment to the relentless pursuit in providing quality compassionate hospice care. We see this as a partnership in caring, a Circle of Care with the patient in the center and a commitment towards quality and personalized palliative and end-of life care– our maxim is to be " Your partner in compassionate caring, please let us be" because we know that "together we can make a difference."
