Neighbors Helping Neighbors
By now, the ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice tag-line rolls off of most people’s tongues without a second thought. But what does “neighbors helping neighbors” really mean? To our organization, it means that our team knows our community, lives in our community and loves our community.
Our roots are local
We are celebrating our 40th anniversary of providing end-of-life care in the Rockbridge County area. In that time span we have grown from 1 volunteer RN serving 1 patient near Goshen to a staff of over 30 professionals and 60 consistent volunteers serving the residents of Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County in addition to Alleghany County, Clifton Forge, Covington, Bath County and Hot Spings. We know this area, we know the people, we know how to provide them with quality care.
Our expert staff is local
Over half of our direct care team hold specialty credentials in end-of-life care. Most of our staff were born here, grew up here, and/or raised families here. All of us call this area home. We live in the neighborhoods throughout the service area. We relate to the families we work with, and often find we know them through some small-town connections.
Our board is local
ConnectionsPlus is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. These dedicated community members call this area home, and many have generational ties to the area. The entire Board meets six times a year, and each member is engaged on one or two of several very active committees. The Board supports the organization and our staff in many ways and extends our ability to connect with our neighbors.
Our response is local
Having local staff means availability 24/7. Patients, families and health care providers can reach our staff any time. When an in-person visit is needed, our staff is generally able to be there within minutes, no matter what time of day or night it is. We know the back-roads and where the cell phone signals fade in and out.
Our partnerships are local
Our patients benefit from our partnership with local healthcare providers. We rely on Lexington Prescription Center, who provides quick home delivery of medications and equipment. We have an excellent working relationship with our local hospitals, which is available to our patients for respite care or brief inpatient stays if needed. We serve many patients in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities who benefit from our support for residents who are approaching end-of-life.
At ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, we believe that our local presence allows us to focus on quality in a way that is above and beyond typical care. When faced with situations that are a bit out of the ordinary, our discussions within our team and with our community partners focus on ‘is this the right thing to do for this person?’ If the answer is yes, we figure out how to make it happen.
Our Interdisciplinary Care Teams are concentrated into teams, each consisting of Registered Nurses, Care Coordinators and Certified Nursing Aides. Other team members, including a Spiritual Counselor/Chaplain, Intake & Admissions Coordinator and Bereavement Counselors, float between the teams as specialized help is needed so that all of our patients and their families get the individualized care they deserve. This approach facilitates close communication and allows the teams to really get to know the patients and the communities they live in.
In the past few years, other organizations based in Staunton and Roanoke have offered hospice services in the area. This gives people options to choose from. We want to be the TOP choice, and we are. According to Medicare’s Hospice Compare website, we are one of the few agencies in the United States with a 5 Star Rating, less than 10% of hospice agencies in the US have received this rating. Here at ConnectionsPlus, we are very proud of this, and we hope you are too.
We are neighbors helping neighbors.
Our roots are local
We are celebrating our 40th anniversary of providing end-of-life care in the Rockbridge County area. In that time span we have grown from 1 volunteer RN serving 1 patient near Goshen to a staff of over 30 professionals and 60 consistent volunteers serving the residents of Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County in addition to Alleghany County, Clifton Forge, Covington, Bath County and Hot Spings. We know this area, we know the people, we know how to provide them with quality care.
Our expert staff is local
Over half of our direct care team hold specialty credentials in end-of-life care. Most of our staff were born here, grew up here, and/or raised families here. All of us call this area home. We live in the neighborhoods throughout the service area. We relate to the families we work with, and often find we know them through some small-town connections.
Our board is local
ConnectionsPlus is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. These dedicated community members call this area home, and many have generational ties to the area. The entire Board meets six times a year, and each member is engaged on one or two of several very active committees. The Board supports the organization and our staff in many ways and extends our ability to connect with our neighbors.
Our response is local
Having local staff means availability 24/7. Patients, families and health care providers can reach our staff any time. When an in-person visit is needed, our staff is generally able to be there within minutes, no matter what time of day or night it is. We know the back-roads and where the cell phone signals fade in and out.
Our partnerships are local
Our patients benefit from our partnership with local healthcare providers. We rely on Lexington Prescription Center, who provides quick home delivery of medications and equipment. We have an excellent working relationship with our local hospitals, which is available to our patients for respite care or brief inpatient stays if needed. We serve many patients in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities who benefit from our support for residents who are approaching end-of-life.
At ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, we believe that our local presence allows us to focus on quality in a way that is above and beyond typical care. When faced with situations that are a bit out of the ordinary, our discussions within our team and with our community partners focus on ‘is this the right thing to do for this person?’ If the answer is yes, we figure out how to make it happen.
Our Interdisciplinary Care Teams are concentrated into teams, each consisting of Registered Nurses, Care Coordinators and Certified Nursing Aides. Other team members, including a Spiritual Counselor/Chaplain, Intake & Admissions Coordinator and Bereavement Counselors, float between the teams as specialized help is needed so that all of our patients and their families get the individualized care they deserve. This approach facilitates close communication and allows the teams to really get to know the patients and the communities they live in.
In the past few years, other organizations based in Staunton and Roanoke have offered hospice services in the area. This gives people options to choose from. We want to be the TOP choice, and we are. According to Medicare’s Hospice Compare website, we are one of the few agencies in the United States with a 5 Star Rating, less than 10% of hospice agencies in the US have received this rating. Here at ConnectionsPlus, we are very proud of this, and we hope you are too.
We are neighbors helping neighbors.
