Furry Friends Enhance Hospice Patient’s Care
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For anyone that has owned animals, we know they are usually more than just pets. To most people, their pet…
Mallory Eldred is the Director of Care Team at Heart ‘n Home Hospice and has been with the company since April 2015. Mallory brings a background in customer service and branding, she began her career at Heart ‘n Home in the Public Relations Department where she was dedicated to serving our staff, community, patients and families. Mallory started as the Public Relations Assistant where she managed our internal catalog of in-house print materials and began designing for Heart ‘n Home. An opportunity for growth in the department became available and she was promoted to Graphic Designer. In this role she designed for Heart ‘n Home and was the liaison for The Prescription Pad and their marketing materials as well. During this experience she learned the quality care and service that Heart ‘n Home provides and that quickly developed her passion for hospice.
As her passion for hospice grew, she wanted to become more involved with patient care and learn the clinical side of Heart ‘n Home. She was promoted to Office Manager of the Fruitland Clinical office, during this time she focused her efforts on developing standard processes for all office managers creating an Office Manager Handbook, making sure the office was compliant and billable, learned the regulatory guidelines, and dedicated herself to supporting an atmosphere where team members could build meaningful relationships.
“As the Director of Care Team my focus is on legendary customer service, compliance, and creating a predictable feeling for patients and families every time the phone rings. I hope to continue to learn and perfect the hospice referral process, so that as a team we can make sure that every patient, family, or referral partner who calls Heart ‘n Home has the access to end of life care they deserve.
I have never worked for a company that valued employees like Heart ‘n Home. I am grateful for the continued opportunity to grow within the company and look forward to many more years with this amazing team of people, serving patients, families and those who love and care for them.”
Bio Coming Soon!
Bio Coming Soon!
Bio Coming Soon!
Jared Dalka is the Director of IT and has been with Heart ‘n Home since 2018. Jared has a bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security from Western Governors University and has 15+ Industry Certs including Security +, CCNA R&S and CCNA Security. Jared manages the development of IT members by providing coaching support to increase support efficiency and skills.
“IT is a great place to be as things are ever changing and challenging. Our team loves taking these challenges and reaching new heights within Heart ‘n Home. We love the chance to work with our fellow employees to help make everyone confident with their technology.”
Duy Trinh is a Nurse Practitioner at Heart ‘n Home Hospice & Palliative Care. He joined the Heart ‘n Home family in March 2018. He completes routine and emergency recertification visits on each patient entering their third benefit period or beyond (including admissions and transfers). He works in collaboration with Medical Directors and IDT members for clinical and psycho-social interventions. In his current role, he also acts as a resource to nursing staff. He also assists with diagnosis, treatment, and management of multiple co-morbidities contributing to terminal illness. In the meantime, he is very active in the community. He volunteers as a Nurse Practitioner at the Friendship Clinic, where he diagnoses and manages a variety of illness including chronic and mental health conditions for underserved population of Downtown Boise. He interacts and refers with other medical professionals to promote maintenance of chronic health condition management.
Mr. Trinh earned his Master of Science from Bowie State University School through the Family Nurse Practitioner Program in 2016. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Frostburg University in 2014, and his Associate Degree in Nursing in 2012 from Hagerstown Community College. He achieved his Diploma in Nursing in 2008 from Kaplan College in California. He is also certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program.
He believes, “Nurses are there when the last breath is taken and nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death.” Stated by Christine Bell. Mr. Trinh’s other hobbies include cooking, reading, biking, camping, and fishing. He enjoys his life in Idaho with his two awesome sons and lovely father.
Kandice Dickinson is the Director of Public Relations for Heart ‘n Home Hospice. Her role is to manage communication between advertising, social media, public relations, and maintain a positive public image for Heart ‘n Home by exuding passion and an understanding of Heart ‘n Home operations and vision. In her role, she cascades information to the general public, Heart ‘n Home company, and media contacts in an effort to highlight the company’s best attributes. She also plans, analyzes, and creates visual solutions to communications problems including graphic design, finding the most effective way to get messages across in print and electronic media using color, type, illustration, photography, and various print and layout concepts. Kandice has Associate degrees in both Medical Office and Business Office Administration. She also received one year of consulting from Hubspot on inbound marketing and SEO. She has a Certificate of Completion in Google Analytics for Beginners. She was the Liaison to the Heart ‘n Home Foundation in 2008. She is also certified in “The Perfect Visit” by Heart ‘n Home. She has played an active role in helping Heart ‘n Home achieve recognition by the Better Business Bureau and receive the Integrity Counts! award as well as the 2019 Best of Treasure Valley award by Inbound Systems.
“Hospice to me means ‘relief.’ I began working in hospice in 2007 and it just so happened my great grandpa was on hospice services at the same time. It was a frightening time for me as I watched his diagnosis worsen rather quickly. He struggled to breathe and had limited energy. I was young, a recent college graduate, and did not have the knowledge about the end-of-life process like I do today. I had also never gone through the dying journey with someone. Once hospice came on board, there was a noticeable difference for Grandpa. Hospice also gave us relief through their education, as we learned what to expect as he progressed through the disease and decline. They empowered us by the knowledge we gained. Truthfully, I was even afraid to touch him for fear I would cause him more discomfort or pain. His hospice team reassured me it was okay for me to love on him and hold his hand and massage his hands and feet if I wanted to, which I did. They gave me a great sense of relief knowing it was okay to do that. They also brought oxygen and proper medical equipment on board and he was able to sleep better. Another sense of relief. He had more energy to do what was most important to him – like visiting with his grandkids and holding the babies. He no longer had to go to the Emergency Room and doctor’s office for appointments. This provided an element of relief to us knowing his limited energy was being protected and valued. Hospice provided relief by being available 24/7 – they were just a phone call away at all times. After he passed, they provided grief support to my grandma – giving us additional relief knowing professionals were helping her with tools that we could not. A relief, again.
Fast forward to today, I have lost several family members since Grandpa, and they too were on hospice services. These experiences have fueled my passion and love for what I do today. I now promote and advocate for the hospice benefit. I believe deeply in the right that all American’s should have access to the Medicare Hospice Benefit. My personal experiences with hospice feed the fire inside me to ensure individuals know hospice is an option for them. They do not have to do this alone. We are here to be a relief to them. I also know that each hospice IS different, everyone deserves the Heart ‘n Home standard of care.”
Korey V Ham is a Nurse Practitioner Specialist in Baker City, Oregon. He graduated with honors in 2017. Having more than 2 years of diverse experiences, especially in NURSE PRACTITIONER, Korey V Ham affiliates with many hospitals including St Luke’s Regional Medical Center, St. Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, cooperates with many other doctors and specialists. Korey has worked with the Baker City Heart ‘n Home office as a Nurse and now as a Nurse Practitioner.
Neil Carroll, MD specializes in family medicine, including obstetrics, pediatrics, women’s health, and hospice. He is also interested in sports and wilderness medicine.
Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Carroll earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Iowa State University. Dr. Carroll works with our Baker City, Oregon team.
Jennifer Willis RN, BSN, joined the Heart ‘n Home team in 2014. She received her nursing degree from Treasure Valley Community College and her BSN from Boise State University. Jennifer has held a variety of nursing positions at Heart ‘n Home, On-Call Nurse, Case Manager and Clinical Director, before entering her current position as Director of Compliance. Jennifer uses her clinical experiences to guide development of policies and procedures, best-known practices, and ongoing education for staff while ensuring that Heart ‘n Home as a whole adheres to all regulatory guidelines.
“I have had several family members receive the blessing of hospice care from Heart ‘n Home and know firsthand how amazing and supportive our staff are during that time of need. My passion is helping support our staff in providing high quality, legendary care to our patients, families and communities. I believe it is a gift all people deserve at the end of life.“
Kathy joined Heart ‘n Home in December of 2018. She is the mother of 5 children and grandmother to 4 grandchildren. She comes predominantly from the hospital acute care areas. Having worked and managed the Emergency, Medical Surgical, Pediatric, Oncology/Infusion Care and Risk and Quality Management Departments. In addition, she has taught many years the LVN/RN programs for Merced, College in California. Her outpatient experiences have been in home health and cardiac rehabilitation.
Katie Shevlin is the Director of Outreach for Heart ‘n Home Hospice & Palliative Care. She joined the team in January 2017. In this role, Katie is responsible for the overall management of the Sales Department. She will help recruit, hire, train, and evaluate new Outreach Coordinators company wide; she will be participating in community hospice activities and will continue to lead a team in providing end-of-life education to our communities.
Katie has 12 years of healthcare related sales and management experience. She obtained her bachelor’s in business/marketing from University of Idaho in 2001 and her MBA from Northwest Nazarene University in 2012.
“Hospice outreach is extremely rewarding and wonderful. Our team provides education daily to referral partners in the community, helping to spread the gift of hospice to more and more patients and families. It definitely can be challenging work, but with the most challenging work comes the most reward. I feel so blessed to work for such a supportive, compassionate, and family-oriented company.”