Good Samaritan Hospice of Pittsburgh

Good Samaritan Hospice (GSH) remains dedicated to excellent patient/family care, ethical practice in the management of funds and community activities contributing to improved education and understanding of quality of life at the end of life. The foundation of hospice is comfort care-managing pain and symptoms-to improve their overall quality of life while nearing the end of their journey. GSH provided care to 1,137 patients and their families in the community by providing 93,938 visits in their homes. Good Samaritan Hospice had 42 active volunteers. In addition, there are 15 volunteers who are active in the Angels on Call program for Good Samaritan Hospice. Angels on Call is a program which provides volunteers to sit with those patients at the End of Life. Volunteers offer anything from scripture to hymns, and simple companionship. Despite the decline in the number of volunteers for this fiscal year, the active volunteers participated in bereavement, clerical, patient service, inpatient unit support, and special events. Initial and ongoing training was provided to the volunteers who enrolled to be a part of this program. Other volunteers were able to offer help from home by making "memory quilts" for surviving family members out of personal clothing and fabric special to the deceased. We also experienced a great interest in the "Veteran's Blankets" which are given to those who serve in a branch of the military. With this program, there have been more requests to learn about the "Vet's Blankets" which provided over 27 hours of free education to VFW and American Legion groups with our service area. Now that we are trying to return to some normalcy post pandemic, the greatest volunteer request is from caregivers/family members trying to care for their loved ones at home. Caregivers may need to take a break to go to a doctor's appointment or get groceries. Some of our volunteers also visit or call family members at home after a patient passed away to comfort them in a time of bereavement. Volunteers also assist with office functions such as filing, organizing, creating admission packets, processing mail, creating thank you baskets for clinicians, and making condolence calls to those who have lost a loved one. Following safety guidelines, Good Samaritan Hospice volunteers played a part in special events, meetings, and activities held throughout the year. Several of the special events included a volunteer recruitment day at Geneva College in Beaver County, where volunteer opportunities were discussed with 100 participants in an 8 hour day event. Another recruitment event was held in Allegheny County at the University of Pittsburgh with 100 participants in an 8 hour period. Education included on-site interviews for volunteers and opportunities offered by Good Samaritan Hospice. Other events included multiple youth bereavement events, memorial services, Holiday Grief Workshop, and a Memorial butterfly release. Over the course of the past fiscal year, Good Samaritan Hospice volunteers provided a total of 1403 hours of service with a dollar value of $41,781. Non-patient related volunteer hours totaled 827 hours of service. Free grief support groups were offered in Beaver, Butler and Allegheny County for those bereaved of our services and for those in the community. There was a total of 17 grief support sessions in all three communities which provided service to 18 participants. Our Holiday Workshop was held on November 12, 2022 with 25 participants. The Family Support Services Team offered over 146 hours of time to prepare, schedule and implement the event. The annual GSH Memorial Service and Butterfly Release was held on August 14, 2022 at Cranberry Township Community Park. This community event was open to anyone who wanted to honor and celebrate the memory of their loved ones, despite whether they had a loved one on service with GSH. Over 300 hundred families released 594 monarch butterflies into the sky. Over a dozen volunteers and staff assisted with the event and offered 65 hours of time. Good Samaritan hosted our annual memorial services on April 23rd and April 30th, 2023 at St. Luke Lutheran Church and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Staff and volunteers offered 32 hours of their time to prepare, plan and hold the event which served 130 family members. Hospice staff members provided education and information at no cost to over 1,794 individuals and their family members regarding their disease state, concerns, healthcare wishes and hospice and palliative care insurance options within the counties served, prior to their decision regarding care. It is estimated GSH tallied over 1,048 hours providing Hospice information and education. Total donations and sponsorships during the fiscal year equated to $23,893. Additional indirect contributions have been through donations to 501(c)(3) member hospital systems at a total of $5,500,000 to help expand like-minded mission within the geographical communities that we serve. The children of two employees were awarded scholarships and the funds were paid directly to each student's account at Butler County Community College $2,500 and Allegheny College $2,500. The American Heart Association was benefited with a total of $30 as part of our Employee Benefit Fund program. Donations are given to a charity of employee's choice when a qualifying event occurs, such as a death in the family. Items were purchased for gift baskets that were given to various local organizations to be auctioned at fundraisers: $227. The following events were sponsored during the fiscal year: A-K Pulsar, Inc Annual Golf Outing $200; Alle Kiski Strong Chamber Golf Outing $140; Items purchased for Backpack Mission Event $8; Butler Health System Foundation Golf Outing $2,000; Children's Advocacy Center of Butler County-Golf Outing Happy Hour $1,000; Concordia Lutheran Ministries Foundation Power of the Purse Fundraiser benefiting the Youth Bereavement Care Program $500; Concordia Lutheran Ministries Foundation Golf Outing $6,000; Heritage Valley Health System Foundation Golf Outing $5,000; Lighthouse Foundation Golf Outing Sponsor $3,400; North Catholic High School Golf Outing $200; and Redeemer Lutheran School Musical $188. Employees of Good Samaritan Hospice were given the opportunity to serve the community by participating in several Mission Events organized by the parent company Concordia Community Support Services. Here are the mission event opportunities that GSH took part in during the fiscal year. In August and September 2022, employees across all Concordia locations in Pennsylvania, including GSH, participated in a donation-based mission to support Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, a program that services 27 school districts and 3 vo-techs in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer Counties. Employees purchased a total of 274 backpacks with essential school supplies including notebooks, pencils, erasers, markers, glue sticks, binders and folders. In September 2022, GSH employees supported a house-build hosted by St. Luke Lutheran Church in Cabot, Pa. Employees volunteered their time to build frames of homes to be donated to families in need, and employees performed various other activities for items that were donated to local communities and groups in need. In April 2023, GSH employees donated 58 volunteer hours to assist with The Lighthouse Foundation's food pantry on two separate occasions. Employees also participated in a collection drive and purchased 20 can openers to be given out at the food pantry. In April 2023, GSH employees purchased new bedding for twin beds and Concordia Lutheran Ministries supported the employees' efforts by purchasing 30 new twin mattresses to support the needs of women utilizing emergency shelter services through Victims Outreach Intervention Center (VOICe) in Butler, Pa. On June 23, 2023, GSH employees volunteered at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's summer distribution event at Knoch Middle School. These donations, sponsorships and mission events are some of the ways we serve God by providing for the needs of His people.

Good Samaritan Hospice continues its Youth Bereavement Care (YBC), offering a variety of virtual and in-person programming including grief counseling, peer support, grief education and day retreats. In 2007, Good Samaritan Hospice held its first event just for children called Camp Good SAM, an overnight summer bereavement camp. In 2013, Camp Good SAM was consolidated with Camp Erin Pittsburgh to provide a three-day, overnight experience in a safe and caring environment where grieving children and teens ages 6-17 could connect with others dealing with loss. Camp Erin Pittsburgh was held as an overnight camp through 2019, and the 2020 event was modified into a socially-distanced one-day event outside at our Middlesex office. And while Camp Erin Pittsburgh was a success, a need was recognized to adapt and expand our youth bereavement services beyond just the camp to reach even more of God's people on a more frequent basis. In 2020, Good Samaritan Hospice introduced Youth Bereavement Care (YBC), a division of Family Support Services which has grown from the need for innovative ways to reach grieving children year-round. The program provides free support for youth from birth through age 21 who have been affected by the death of a significant person in their lives. YBC is open to not only our hospice and extended Concordia families but also to the greater community. The mission of YBC is to make an impactful difference in the lives of children and teens by providing resources, clinical support and year-round connection with other families who are grieving. Enriched programming provides robust support to children and youth as they navigate their own unique grief. YBC services are free and include a variety of virtual and in-person programming, such as grief counseling, peer support, individual and family groups, grief education and day retreats. YBC is staffed by grief and bereavement experts as well as clinicians who are trained in child mental and behavioral health and provide connective resources within the grief community. A free In-Person Event was held on Saturday October 15, 2022 at The Mansion in Butler, PA. The event was a creative workshop for children who have lost a loved one and their caregivers. The attendees participated in activities and breakout sessions based around the book The Copper Tree. and each child received a copy of the book to take home as well as a craft. The adult caregivers worked in breakout sessions and received a free book titled Parenting Through Grief. 11 GSH employees volunteered at the event which lasted seven hours, 12 children and 10 caregivers were served at this event. A Music Grief Workshop was held on March 11, 2023 at the Middlesex office and via zoom. Four children participated in this event and each child was given a music toy. Finally, the YBC team hosted an event entitled "Music in Me" on June 24, 2023. During this event children worked with musical instruments, painted and were given coloring books. Five children from the community participated in this event, which took 146 hours to plan, prepare and execute.

GSH also offers Inpatient care for help in the assessment and management of acute, complex, or uncontrolled symptoms such as pain or shortness of breath. The Inpatient Units (IPUs) focus on caring for patients with high acuity that cannot be managed at home, such as complicated delivery mechanisms i.e., subcutaneous, frequent dose titration, and skilled nursing care with frequent monitoring can be provided in the general inpatient setting. GSH provided this level of care to 801 patients and their families during this fiscal year end. 14,323 visits were provided to patients in the IPUs. The hospice staff are available in this specific setting around the clock to consult and provide support to families as they journey through the progression of the disease. This setting is offered at three locations: Heritage Valley Beaver Hospital, Concordia at Cabot, and in the Hospice House in Wexford. Short-term respite care is also provided by nursing staff to alleviate the burden on family caregivers. Good Samaritan Hospice had 42 active volunteers. The active volunteers participated in bereavement, clerical, patient service, inpatient unit support, and special events. These volunteers visit patients, read them stories, create craft projects, play music, sing, and provide pet therapy visits. In addition, they provide spiritual support through prayer, singing hymns, scripture reading, and simply offer a quiet, calm presence during the last few hours of life. A team of volunteers worked diligently at beautifying the flower gardens at our inpatient units in Cabot and Wexford. The patients and families have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful landscape and flower arrangements. Over each holiday season, our volunteers graciously help decorate our three inpatient units making it feel welcoming for families and visitors. Volunteers routinely bake treats and cook meals for our inpatient units; these homecooked meals are appreciated by families and visitors. We also have a team of pet therapy volunteers who visit patients and family members in our three inpatient units. Students preparing to become Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses were also offered educational opportunities at our Beaver, Wexford, and Cabot inpatient locations. Students from Buter County Community College, Community College of Beaver County (CCBC), Lenape and Ohio Valley completed approximately 310 clinical hours with Good Samaritan Hospice. These opportunities allowed for hands-on training and experience in a skilled setting.