Thanks in part to Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys (VNA/Hospice), retired veteran and local carpenter, David Kiese, made it home for the holidays.

Living a modest lifestyle in his motorhome parked at a friend’s house, Kiese looks forward to heading to Tennessee in his RV every Christmas holiday to visit with his daughter and beloved grandchildren. Unfortunately that was not to be this year.

Earlier this month, Kiese was evacuated to the VA Hospital in Miami after experiencing chest pains and underwent emergency open heart surgery. After the life-saving coronary artery double bypass surgery, Kiese’s only wish was to be released from the hospital in time to spend the holidays at his home with friends. VNA/Hospice enabled that wish to come true.

“If it weren’t for the wonderful home health care that VNA/Hospice provides,” expressed Kiese, “I wouldn’t have been able to come home. My nurse Jennifer and my therapist Sandy are just wonderful. It’s because of them that I’ve been given a second lease on life – thanks to my cardiac rehabilitation and having them teach me about heart disease and how best to manage a better lifestyle, like quitting smoking.”

VNA/Hospice is the only non-profit home health and hospice agency that serves all of the residents of the Florida Keys. From the uninsured patient with cancer needing hospice care to the uninsured car accident victim requiring home health care while recovering from severe injuries, VNA/Hospice is there for all who need them.

Pictured: David Kiese and Sandy Riegor, VNA/Hospice Physical Therapist

Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Florida Keys (VNA/Hospice) recently received Fazzi’s Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) National Award of Distinction.

Pictured: Lower Keys clinical and support personnel at Key West corporate office, center is CEO Jody Gross.

Pictured: Upper & Middle Keys clinical & support personnel at Tavernier regional office, center is COO Kathleen Ryzoc.

Agencies named as Fazzi’s HHCAHPS Top 25 are proven leaders that have excelled in one of the most important measures of an agency’s quality program-patient satisfaction and for their work in improving the quality of home health care to the patients they serve. The National Award of Distinction is presented annually and places VNA/Hospice as one of the top 25% agencies in the nation.

“We are honored by this prestigious recognition,” stated VNA/Hospice CEO Jody Gross. “This designation recognizes that our nurses, physical therapist, social workers, home health aides and companions are the best in Monroe County. They are truly dedicated in providing the most compassionate, quality care possible. This award is in their honor.”

Fazzi is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected corporations that specializes in home care and hospice services and is the only national benchmarking service that incorporates findings from its research and consulting divisions in helping to guide agencies in best practice strategies for improving patient satisfaction.

The Lower Matecumbe Mermaids were honored at the 2013 Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys Annual Meeting and Celebration for their fundraising efforts for the agency.

Pictured (left to right): Front Row – Kathleen Hamilton, Bonita Hutson, Rose Duke, Pat Woolley, Brenda Rush, Krissy Gustinger. Back Row – Janet Hnatin, Denise Landin, Natalie Maddox (VNA/Hospice Fundraising Coordinator), Ann Haber, Donna McKenna.

Every year, the Mermaids hold a Christmas party and fundraiser in order to raise funds for VNA/Hospice. These funds assist VNA/Hospice in caring for residents and visitors of the Florida Keys. This year’s party raised $2,450 for VNA/Hospice.

“We are very fortunate to have supporters like the Lower Matecumbe Mermaids,” said Jody Gross, VNA/Hospice President & CEO. “It is contributions such as theirs that enable us to provide care to those in need in our communities.”