Four Seasons introduces Mobile Palliative Care Unit
Jul 19, 2023 05:16PM ● By WNC Business
Hendersonville, NC—Four Seasons introduces its new mobile medical clinic. The mobile clinic and SIM mannequin will enhance training for our staff throughout Western North Carolina. The mobile unit will also allow Four Seasons to provide palliative care to more rural patients throughout its service area including our Western service region. Four Seasons’ Western region includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties.
“Community based palliative care (CBPC) has been shown to not only improve patient health outcomes, but increase patient satisfaction, decrease healthcare costs, and increase access to hospice through care provided by Physicians, Advanced Practice Providers and Social Workers. However, the ability for people residing in rural areas remains limited to take advantage of these services. In WNC, increased demand for CBPC services has led to Four Seasons’ CBPC team caring for over 700 patients in these counties” states Chief Clinical Operations Officer, Rikki Hooper, MBA, MLAS, MSN, FNP, ACHPN.
A mobile care clinic will increase access for people to members of the interdisciplinary team in CBPC. The mobile unit will provide access at sites convenient to patients in remote areas, reducing travel distances for those patients to go to a clinic, or for Clinicians to go to them: “With needs continuing to rise, we anticipate being able to use the mobile care clinic to see many patients per day in a single site,” continues Rikki.
Additionally, building a mobile unit equipped with a mannequin and educational technology will create flexible space for training new staff, verifying required competencies, and conducting refresher courses for existing staff. The Mobile SIM Lab will allow us to conduct required CPR recertifications, skills assessments, and hospice and palliative care-specific training for nurses, CNAs, social workers, and home health aides. This vehicle and simulation technology will allow Four Seasons to expand our reach in recruitment, training, and skills assessment of our healthcare staff in the six westernmost counties of our service area.
“Ensuring that quality care is available as soon as it is needed is our priority. When a member of our community needs serious illness or hospice care, we are available and now, more than ever before, we will be more accessible and more responsive. We believe that every moment is important throughout the seasons of life. This mobile clinic will help expand our commitment to making high quality care and training accessible says Four Seasons President & CEO, Dr. Millicent Burke-Sinclair, Ed.D, MBA, MLAS, SPHR®, SHRM SCP.
Funding for this mobile care unit has been made possible by the generosity of the James H. Cummings Foundation, The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, and Victoria and Dennis Flanagan.
Learn more about Four Seasons at FourSeasonsCare.org.
About Four Seasons:Since 1979, Four Seasons has maintained a commitment to exceptional serious illness and end-of-life care. Current service lines include Care Navigation, Home Care, Palliative Care, Hospice Care, Grief Services, and Clinical Research and Innovation. Four Seasons is a nonprofit, national leader in high-quality person centered care, proven by our consistent rank in the top 10% of service providers for family satisfaction. We are one of only a handful of palliative and hospice organizations nationwide that contribute to clinical research studies and trials. Your donation to and purchase from our Hospice Home Stores enable patients to have access to the care they need regardless of the ability to pay. The diligent efforts of the Four Seasons Foundation ensure the mission and vision of the organization now and for years to come. To learn more, visit Four Seasons online or call (866) 466-9734.
Source: Four Seasons