ANGELS AND EXPERTS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I write in direct response to last week’s letter written by Ebba Hierta, and would like to clarify the description of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard as a “volunteer run” organization. We have a paid professional, experienced, licensed, trained and certified staff of registered nurses, social workers, a chaplain, a medical director, and administrators.

And yes, we do have volunteers.

They are our angels and they are invaluable to the support we are able to offer our patients and their families. We have brought our expertise to many a bedside, lending support to the frailest of patients and their loved ones. We do not help people die, we support the patient and their whole family as they live their days together, however many they have. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health licenses us as a hospice. At this time, Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard is the only licensed hospice on the Island.

I am very sorry that your friends have had to leave the Island for insurance-covered end-of-life care. When insurance reimbursement dictates the plan of care, you are correct that Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard cannot recover expenses from those insurance companies, private or government. This is another reason why our services are free.

However, our patients have been able to access their own insurance reimbursements and if necessary Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard has been able to help with the costs of medications, supplies and other expenses. We do this through the Christopher Fund which was established by a patient’s family, and Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard raises funds for this account as well as receives donations from the community.

The Christopher Fund helps patients and families with financial needs pay for medicines, equipment — even fuel oil. Many community organizations have been very supportive of our efforts. The Cancer Support Group also provides financial assistance to Islanders. Also, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital has been very supportive toward community members facing their last days. We coordinate with these and other organizations to lessen our patient’s financial burden.

Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard works to the best of our abilities to support families to care for their loved ones at home, in the hospital or at Windemere and we offer our professional care free of any charges. 2009 marks our twenty-eighth year, and we have supported 1,222 families and patients with quality end-of-life care. And in all those years, the insurance piece has rarely been an issue for these families.

Our mission is clear: we seek to provide medical, social and spiritual care for all who are facing the end of life, and just as importantly, we give support to their families all the way through grieving. We do this with pride, compassion and with total focus on the comfort and care of our patients, and we look forward to doing it for many years to come.

Terre D. Young

West Tisbury

Terre D. Young is executive director of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard

HOSPICE’S HOBSON’S CHOICE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Martha’s Vineyard needs a certified hospice. I’m sorry that Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard has decided not to seek licensure and Medicare certification on its own because I agree that having an organization dedicated to care of the terminally ill and their families is most desirable. On the other hand, continuity of care is also very important. When so much else is changing, it is very helpful to the patients and their families to have the same caregivers and agency transition with them to end of life care.

For 21 years (1980-2001) I worked with Hospice — as a nurse, clinical coordinator and CEO. I served on the board of directors of both the Connecticut Organization for Hospice and Palliative Care and the national Organization for Hospice and Palliative Care during many of those years. I have hospice in my heart.

I’ve cringed every time I read publicity releases from Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard asserting that the agency is “unique‚“ and that not having Medicare certification is a good thing. I disagree. Almost all hospices in the U.S. have seen the need to and benefit of becoming licensed and certified. Licensure and certification ensures that the hospice provider meets at least the minimum standards of care; it ensures that hospice patients are eligible for certain Medicare benefits that they would not otherwise be entitled to; it ensures that patients and families have access to the same Medicare hospice benefits whether they are residing on Martha’s Vineyard, or anywhere in America; and it provides reimbursement to the Hospice so it does not need to depend fully on the community for its support of its operations.

Yes, patients need to be certified as terminally ill by their personal physician as well as the Hospice medical director. This is to protect the patient as well as the Hospice. We want to make sure that patients receive hospice care at an appropriate time in their lives. If a patient lives longer than six months and remains terminally ill, there is no penalty to the patient or Hospice — the patient is re-certified and hospice care continues. If at any time during the course of hospice care the patient’s condition stabilizes, or improves, the patient can be discharged from Hospice. Hospice care can resume when needed.

Unfortunately, it is not only Medicare (older) patients who need end-of-life care. Private and state-run health insurance programs generally require the Hospice to be licensed and certified. They want to know that the Hospice meets the minimum standards of care.

Reimbursements provided by Medicare and other health insurers do not fully cover the costs of providing good hospice care, but it helps. Hospices are very grateful for donations and bequests made in appreciation for the care provided to patients and their family members. However, there are many important nonprofit organizations who do not have access to any type of reimbursement and need community support to continue their good deeds. If reimbursement is available, then we should access that money and lessen the need for community support.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this opinion. My mother was served by Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard before she died in 2005 and my father is currently receiving hospice care. They and we received excellent support, especially from Ann Ledden, RN.

As a professional hospice person, I’ve been through several mergers and break-ups and it’s never easy. However, we should have access to a certified hospice here on our Island, our home. If Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard does not want to become licensed and certified either as an independent agency or as part of Vineyard Nursing Association, then VNA has no choice but to go forward on its own.

We all die suddenly, or not so suddenly. If it’s the latter, I want a compassionate, competent hospice team by my side.

Janice Casey

Edgartown

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LUTHER MADISON

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

He spoke in a whisper, but when Luther talked, he spoke with authority, with love and compassion. The news of his death late Thursday left the community, the world, and my personal life with an emptiness.

The fact that he was Medicine Man of the Wampanoag Tribe was appropriate because he was my inspiration and the “best medicine” not only to my Wampanoag friends. As he approached the sunset, I can know that the sunset is but a pause before the beginning of a new day. May the great spirit bless him and be near to his family and friends.

Peter Sanborn

Melbourne, Fla.

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MVC IS KEY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

While on a recent off-Island trip, something we try to do as infrequently as possible, we noticed that no matter where we drove, we were overwhelmed by all the ways in which uncontrolled development is ruining communities.

It is no accident that our Island remains the remarkable place that it is. All of us care deeply about the character and quality of Island life. Surveys have proven over and over that Vineyarders assign a very high priority to preserving the unique character of this Island, its natural setting and its “built environment.” The unique planning and regulatory functions of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission play an important supportive role in accomplishing this.

However, preserving the character of the Vineyard does not happen in a vacuum. MVC commissioners are either elected by us or appointed by our elected representatives. Bottom line, we have chosen them to do a complicated and difficult job. Their current long-range planning function, the Island Plan, has engaged more than 550 people in its network of planning advisors. Thousands more have been involved in its work groups, forums and surveys. There will be still more opportunities for public input in the year ahead, as we are all invited to translate into reality the Island Plan’s most promising proposals.

Does the mainland, which relies only on zoning, provide a better model? One trip off-Island should convince any skeptic that zoning alone cannot do the job. Rather than critique the MVC for such things as their staff salaries (which unlike the towns have no automatic step increases), shouldn’t we instead applaud the talented staff and dedicated volunteer Commissioners who work long and hard on our behalf? Their devotion to the Vineyard community deserves our sincere recognition and grateful support.

Judy Crawford

Tad Crawford

West Tisbury

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TEACHERS PLEASE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I am a sophomore at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, and I am doing a school project on teaching.

During English class I will be interviewing teachers of various age levels — preschool, kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school and college — and at all different types of schools: public, private, Catholic, charter, and boarding schools. I am interested in why people became teachers, their best and worst times in teaching, their most challenging situations, and the pros and cons of pursuing a career in teaching.

For my Social Studies class, I am trying to find teachers who taught during the women’s rights movement, the anti-war movement, and/or the civil rights movement. I will be asking questions about the difficulty of teaching during a political movement and other related questions.

What I am looking for from this community are teachers, former or current, who would be willing to be interviewed either in person, over the phone or through an e-mail, to help me diversify my project. Please contact me at jess.dupon@gmail.com if you have any suggestions, comments, questions, or if you can help out. Thank you!

Jess Dupon

Oak Bluffs

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A PLACE FOR WELLNESS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Every spring a Benefits Fair is sponsored by the County of Dukes County and the Cape Cod Municipal Health Group (CCMHG), the provider of health insurance for municipal employees and their families. This year we are incorporating wellness programs into the event.

Our goal is to educate municipal employees, municipal retirees, and their families about the health care options available to them that provide discounts on programs that promote healthier lifestyles and preventative care. The fair will increase our employees’ awareness of how healthy living can also save money.

The County of Dukes County and CCMHG would like to invite anyone who is dedicated to health, wellness, fitness and weight loss or other healthy lifestyles to participate in our Wellness and Benefits Fair being held Friday, May 15, 2009, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Bluffs School.

If you are a provider of traditional, complementary or alternative medical care, such as a yoga instructor, massage therapist, nutrition counselor or the like, please call Tammy at 508-696-3845 to reserve a place as space is limited.

Tammy Deese

Oak Bluffs

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INSPIRATION TO GENERATION

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

On Feb. 20 in a school assembly sponsored by the Young Brothers to Men, Mr. McLaurin spoke as part of Black History Month, humbly acknowledging his role in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman.

He is a role model and mentor for a younger generation; these young men and women will remember the Tuskegee Airmen their entire lives and they will remember Jim McLaurin. At 86 years of age he has accomplished a great deal, he has persisted his entire life in keeping our country the greatest in the world, by not only serving his country but also his town and state.

The Young Brothers to Men would like to establish a Youth Association with the Tuskegee Airmen. We also would like to assist Mr. McLaurin in conducting a visit by vintage airplanes to the Island to highlight some of the history he has lived.

W. Leo Frame Jr.

Oak Bluffs