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This past February, the unveiling of a new name, a new sign, and a new sculpture marked the beginning of a new chapter for Rockbridge Area Hospice.
The local nonprofit, community- based hospice and palliative care provider announced its merger with Clifton Forgebased Mountain Regional Hospice and the expansion of services under a new name: ConnectionsPlus Healthcare and Hospice.
Through programs designed to support patients with varying needs and their family members, ConnectionsPlus will continue to give residents of Rockbridge, Alleghany, and neighboring communities access to exceptional care and resources every day, said CEO Tasha Walsh.
Before the merger, Medicare awarded Rockbridge Area Hospice with a five-star rating — its highest honor for the best quality of hospice services anywhere. Only 10% of hospices across the nation received this rating.
“Our newly merged ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice organization is dedicated to maintaining this excellence as we care for those with serious illnesses,” said Walsh. “We are still a mission-driven, not-for-profit health care plus hospice provider. Both Rockbridge Area Hospice and Mountain Regional Hospice were community-based organizations known and appreciated throughout their service areas for putting the needs of patients first so that they and their families might live as fully and as comfortably as possible.
“The combination of our operations will allow us to serve more people, avoid unnecessary duplication, adopt best practices from both organizations, and align with health care providers across the region to maximize access to care,” Walsh said. “We’ve been known as neighbors helping neighbors for decades, and when you think about what neighbors do, well, they connect and help each other out. And that’s what our new name is all about.”
The three main categories of ConnectionsPlus services are integrated care for those with serious illnesses, home-based support for patients with needs specific to end-of-life care, and counseling.
“When hospice first started, it took into account the various needs — physical, of course, and also practical, emotional, and spiritual — of the patient and their whole family. We’ve kept this approach with all of the services we currently provide, while making sure that patients’ and families’ personal priorities are respected,” Walsh explained.
Walsh said that it can be difficult navigating the complexities of living with a serious illness, which is where the Advanced Integrated Care Program comes in. Homebased Integrated Care focuses on providing patients dealing with ongoing health concerns with practical support and information.
Those in the later phases of illness may be cared for by professional nurses, aides, social workers, and chaplains, as well as by volunteers, to help sustain their quality of life. This support, which includes home delivery of medical supplies, patient and family advocacy, liaison with local health care providers, and many other services, is provided at little or no cost to the patient.
Counseling for patients and families consists of professional bereavement support plus community education and grief counseling. ConnectionsPlus will continue to provide popular community programs such as Ducks in a Row, We Honor Veterans, Light Up A Life, and Grief to Growth groups.
One of the highlights of the ribbon-cutting in February was the dedication of a new sculpture on the grounds of ConnectionsPlus headquarters in Lexington at Myers and White Streets. The sculpture, entitled “Journey of the Soul,” was created by John W. Mason, a widely renowned, locally based stone sculptor whose works can also be viewed in Hopkins Green and in front of Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital.
For Walsh, Mason’s work perfectly symbolizes the organization’s mission.
“As we go through our journeys in life, we’re all just walking each other home. John’s sculpture really represents this journey: from the beginning to the end of this life, it’s a journey of the soul. Our mission is to help the end of that journey be as meaningful, as comfortable, and as peaceful as possible,” she said. “We’re neighbors, walking each other home.”
ConnectionsPlus Lexington is located at 315 Myers St. The telephone number is (540) 463-1848 and the website address is ConnectionsPlus. care.
