More than 100 administrators, directors of nursing and MDS (minimum data set) coordinators from the long term care sector attended an appreciation luncheon in June hosted by VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Miami-Dade County.

The luncheon and in-service presentation at the Rusty Pelican Restaurant on Key Biscayne were part of VITAS’ commitment to providing the highest quality palliative care and emotional and spiritual support to the patients and families it serves in partnership with over 50 nursing homes in Miami-Dade County.

“VITAS is about celebrating life, the lives of the patients we serve,” explained VITAS General Manager Dian J. Johnson. “One of VITAS’ goals is to further educate the community at large about the benefits of palliative care. South Florida is a diverse region, and some communities are underserved because their cultures don’t fully understand the hospice philosophy.”

To that end, VITAS offers continuing education credits to staff from nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and other healthcare organizations through CE Broker. The luncheon included an in-service on “Hospice & the Nursing Facility: Improving Care Together,” in which Dian explained how to identify patients who are hospice appropriate.

Betty de Yurre, R.N., the afternoon’s guest speaker, introduced the mayor’s Initiatives for the Elderly program to the audience. De Yurre is senior advocate in the Miami-Dade Office of the County Manager, a position created by Mayor Carlos Alvarez last year to address the needs of the elderly as this population continues to grow rapidly in Miami-Dade. “I value this opportunity to address the long term care community,” Betty said. “Our main goal is to bridge the gaps in services to the elderly.”

When terminally ill patients’ symptoms temporarily prevent them from being cared for in their homes or long term care communities, VITAS is the only Miami-Dade hospice provider with in-patient hospice units located in hospitals, including Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Hialeah Hospital, Jackson North Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center/Miami Heart Institute and North Shore Medical Center.