Education, Equity, and Enthusiasm
A New Grant Focuses on Latinx End-of-Life Communication
Dwight Wilson, Executive Director

Earlier this month our newest Board Member, Delia Hernandez, and I had the pleasure of being interviewed for a segment of “Think Out Loud” on Oregon Public Broadcasting. The purpose of the program was to talk about a grant that Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice received from OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to fund Spanish language interviews with patients dealing with late-stage cancer.

We have long known that end-of-life discussions are complicated and don’t always happen, and also know that attitudes and concerns toward death and dying differ across cultures. We aim to use the grant funds to explore more effective ways to reach and engage with the Latinx community, using meaningful language to overcome the taboo of talking about death. 

For example, the concept of palliative care includes managing chronic, ongoing challenges of aging, and does not always mean end-of-life care. Patients and their families who have these discussions earlier in a disease process feel incredibly empowered. We want to learn culturally-appropriate and helpful ways to communicate the benefits of palliative and end-of-life care. 
 
Delia and our Celia’s House nurse, Susy Bermudez, are assisting Lily Herwald and myself in developing interview questions. We will be working with our community partners such as La Clinica, and reaching out to Heimann Cancer Center-Asante and others that serve Spanish-speaking patients to find appropriate interviewees. Beginning in late fall, we are planning for ten in-depth interviews to gain insight into their concerns and thoughts, with the goal of applying for a phase two grant. 
 
I’m looking forward to what we learn and to share the results with all of you. 
  
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To listen to the OPB interview with Dwight and Delia, click here: 

The 2022 OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Partnership Awards fund:

Portland’s Hopewell House to Open in November for Hospice Residents
Model of care based on Celia’s House  
Cheryl French, Volunteer

In 2020, Celia’s House Honorary Board member John Forsyth, MD, wrote a newsletter article about a group of leaders from Hopewell House, a hospital-owned hospice residence in Portland that had recently closed. The group visited Celia’s House to explore how they might re-open Hopewell House, drawing inspiration from Celia’s House and our unique model for end-of-life care.  
 
Two years later, with a board of directors and volunteers in place, and having purchased the home with a nearly completed $5 million capital campaign, Hopewell House plans to open its doors for hospice residents this November. 
 
Friends of Hopewell House Executive Director, Lesley Sacks, LCSW, Administrator Marci Donaldson, R.N., and Crystal Ashton, Volunteer Coordinator, recently spent an internship at Celia’s House to to fulfill Residential Care Facility licensing requirements for hospice care. Lesley said, “We selected Celia’s House for our internship because it is the only specialty residential care facility dedicated to the care of hospice individuals in the state of Oregon.”
 
They observed every level of our administration and culture of care, including caregiving, meal preparation, medication delivery, staffing and volunteer training, financial systems, rules and regulations, and more. 
 
In his 2020 article, John said that after two years of operation, “awareness of Celia’s House was well-established, and worthy of our desire to create a model of excellence in end-of-life care that might expand across the region.” 
 
His prophetic words continue to describe the same hope of success for our friends at Hopewell House.  
Left to right: R.N. Administrator, Marci Donaldson, Volunteer Coordinator, Crystal Ashton, and Executive Director, Lesley Sacks
Together, we did it—Care Fund Goal was met!
Lily Herwald, Development Director

Thanks to over 153 donors, we have surpassed our goal and raised $205,707 for Celia’s House Care Fund. Every gift helped us reach this goal! We appreciate the generous matches from Barbara and Harry Oliver and our anonymous Board Member. So many people came together to reach our goal on time. 
 
So far in 2022, Celia’s House has supported more residents than ever, thanks to the Care Fund. This fund allows people with the greatest need to receive care from our fantastic staff in this serene place. 
On behalf of our residents and their loved ones, our staff, board, and volunteers, thank you for supporting Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice!
SOFH Attends OLLI Open House at SOU 
Alexandria Castelo, Development & Communication Coordinator

Southern Oregon University hosted an open house event with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on Friday July 22, 2022. This gathering allowed community partners, attendees, event sponsors, university staff and students to network and learn more about the resources available in Southern Oregon and how to access them. 

Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice set up at one of the many information tables—spreading awareness about our mission, Celia’s House and The HUB. Our team had meaningful conversations around end-of-life, answered questions, and listened to several touching stories from community members who have volunteered at Celia’s House or The HUB, or some whose loved ones had once been at Celia’s House. 

We are grateful to have been a part of the educational event last month, and our partnership with OLLI continues to expand. Last spring, for the first time, Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice offered an OLLI course that covered a multitude of topics related to healthcare, palliative care, hospice, grief, end-of-life planning and more.

This fall the course will again be offered beginning September 16, for the first of eight Friday sessions, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Celia’s House. You can sign up through OLLI: https://olli.sou.edu/olliatsou/course/course.aspx?C=2754&pc=59&mc=66&sc=0

If you have questions, please reach out to our Executive Director, Dwight Wilson, at 650-743-7997.
Cocktails for a Cause Creates Community in Southern Oregon
Alexandria Castelo, Development & Communication Coordinator

Luna Café is located at the south end of Ashland, with stunning views of the east mountains when you unwind on their back balcony. Six months ago, Luna’s restaurant manager, Amber, decided to put ideas into action, and with support from her team, Cocktails for a Cause became a reality.

“We started doing Cocktails for a Cause as a creative and fun way to spread awareness about some of the amazing nonprofits in the Rogue Valley. It's so rewarding because our team is able to expand our customer base, as well as help foster a sense of community amongst organizations and people who are doing great work." 

Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice is thrilled about the opportunity to be featured for August, and thanks to everyone's support, last week’s event was a huge success. Celia’s House and HUB volunteers joined us, along with over a hundred community members.

"With the incredible support of Luna's staff, we all had a magnificent evening full of laughter, delightful meals, and a shared passion for our cause. Each and every one of us showed up to honor end-of-life care. The support was absolutely astounding & we couldn't be more grateful," expressed Emilio, HUB team member.

Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice has eight more days of being featured, thanks to Luna Café’s generosity. If you buy a specialty cocktail or lemonade from Luna Café between now and August 31st, part of your drink purchase goes directly to our nonprofit. We hope everyone can find a moment to unwind, have a drink, and support end-of-life care. We greatly appreciate our community!
Memory Lane Margarita
Mango Lemonade
Sunset Sour

1618 Ashland Street, Ashland, OR

Store Hours: 
Monday – Sunday, 10:30am – 5:00pm

(541) 488-7805
  • The HUB will be closed Monday, September 5th for Labor Day.

  • The HUB accepts donations Tuesday - Saturday 10:30am - 4:30pm. No donations are accepted Sunday or Monday.

  • Interested in volunteering at The HUB? Contact us (541) 488-7805
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Please Welcome Our Newest Board Members
Sudhir Gautam
Sudhir has been a Technologist for over 20 years, with current focus on Mobile Apps, AI, Machine Learning and web3 technologies. He has worked in automotive, entertainment, hospitality, healthcare, FinTech and nonprofit sectors across the world, and is a TEDx speaker.
He shares that his passion for hospice "started with my need to look for local options for to compensate for my inability to take care of my parents in India. Over the years, hospice and end of life has become an important part of my self-exploration process."
Delia Hernandez
Delia has been the Health-Outreach Specialist at La Clinica in Medford, Oregon since 2018. She has worked as a home-health worker, and has 20 years of experience in the medical field serving her community.
"Family is what brought me to the Southern Oregon Valley and family is what keeps me here. When I say 'family', I don't only mean my biological family, but my community."
Delia has worked hard to serve diverse groups across cultures and have important end-of-life discussions with people of all backgrounds. She expressed that she is grateful to be part of the Board of Directors for Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice because of her passion for education and outreach.

Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice & Celia's House
Mailing Address: 217 S. Modoc Ave., Medford, OR 97504

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