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Community Corner

United Hospice of Rockland (UHR) Joe Raso Hospice Residence (JRHR) Marks First Harvest from Vegetable Garden Established With the Assistance of Other Community Organizations.

United Hospice of Rockland’s (UHR) Joe Raso Hospice Residence (JRHR) has a newly planted vegetable garden made possible through the efforts of other community organizations. UHR executive director Amy Stern said, “I thought it would be wonderful to grow our own produce and then use it in the preparation of meals for patients, families and staff.  With the assistance of others, I am delighted to report that we’ve harvested our first vegetables and prepared our first salads.” (See photo of chef preparing the very first salad made with greens from the garden.)    

First, a colleague of Amy Stern’s, Cecilia Halverson of Home Aides of Rockland, a member of the Clarkstown Garden Club (CGC) came to the residence and met with Amy Stern and the JRHR chef. She then spoke to the CGC about the project. The CGC has supported UHR with other projects in the past.  The CGC members enthusiastically agreed to plant the garden.  

The CGC needed help with the heavy work needed to prepare and protect the garden.  Jim Murphy, a UHR  volunteer and the current President of the Pearl River Rotary encouraged the Pearl River Rotarians to provide supplies and labor to prepare and protect the garden. The UHR chef agreed to tend the garden. Any excess bounty from the garden is to be donated to People to People which is looking for donations of fresh fruits and vegetables during the growing season. Thus, the garden is a true community project, a collaboration by and for local charities, volunteers, and residents.

Situated in New City, on a peaceful eleven-acre setting of streams, woodlands, wildlife, and a pond, the Joe Raso Hospice Residence opened in March 2012, providing options that were not previously available in the community for seriously ill loved ones, friends and neighbors who live alone with no support system in place, for those who live with an elderly or infirm partner whose own condition prevents them from being able to provide adequate care or support, for those who come from institutional settings or return from having spent time outside the community, and for those who have no home to which they can return or have families who are fearful of caring for their loved ones at home during their final phases of life.

JRHR closes a gap in the continuum of care offering a home-like environment while providing the full complement of UHR comfort-oriented care. Services include expert pain and symptom management, nursing care, assistance with the tasks of daily living, friendly visiting by volunteers, spiritual and psycho-social counseling for patients and their loved ones, and bereavement counseling and support groups for surviving family members.

All inquiries on behalf of individuals who are not presently on the hospice program should be directed to the United Hospice of Rockland Help Center, 845-634-4974.  Individuals must meet hospice eligibility requirements. Medical, psychosocial, spiritual needs of each patient will be assessed to determine the ability to meet their needs at the residence while balancing it with the needs of residents who are already there.

Founded in 1988, United Hospice of Rockland Inc. (UHR), a 401(c3) nonprofit corporation, enables patients with advanced illnesses to live in comfort, with dignity, and surrounded by those they love and serves as a resource for palliative care, bereavement support, and information about end of life issues. United Hospice of Rockland is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and meets the Standards for Charity Accountability of the Better Business Bureau, Inc. In addition, UHR received a third consecutive 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator. When time matters most, UHR provides care, comfort and improved quality of life to individuals and their families and offers compassionate support to members of the community who have experienced the loss of a loved one.  For further information, contact United Hospice of Rockland, 11 Stokum Lane, New City, NY 10956.  Call 845 634-4974 or visit www.hospiceofrockland.org <http://www.hospiceofrockland.org> .

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photo of UHR chef Anthony Cubias preparing first salad from Joe Raso Hospice Residence garden

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