The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has named Burke Hospice and Palliative Care the No. 1 hospice in the country for serving its minority population.
Burke Hospice Executive Director Ron LaSalle said a team from Burke Hospice will attend the national conference April 2010 in Washington, D.C., to present its methods.
LaSalle said Burke Hospice addressed the issue of serving minorities head on by hiring two minority women to fill significant positions in the organization. Burke Hospice staff also attended events in minority communities and took the opportunity to speak about hospice services.
Blacks make up 6.7 percent of Burke County's population and 12 percent of Burke Hospice's patients are black, LaSalle said. On a national level, the black population is 12.3 percent but hospices serve only 8 percent.
Burke Hospice also serves the Hmong and Latino population, LaSalle said.
In other news from Burke Hospice, the construction of the organization's 14-bed facility is on schedule, LaSalle said. The building is scheduled for completion in mid-November.
Also, Vince Bartlome, Burke Hospice vice president of support services, said a Burke Hospice liaison has been established at Grace and Valdese hospitals. Burke Hospice realized there was a need for a liaison at the hospitals, Bartlome said. The liaison will be able to answer patients' questions and will also address any questions the hospital has.
Because the liaison will be on site, patients and the hospital will have their questions answered in a shorter amount of time, rather than having to schedule an appointment, Bartlome said.
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