History

1987…Three independent grassroots organizations join forces to create United Hospice of Rockland and apply for state licensure.  Nyack and Good Samaritan Hospitals provide start-up funding. 

1988…January 4: United Hospice of Rockland receives New York State licensure to operate as a Hospice serving Rockland County.  UHR also receives Medicare certification.

January 11: UHR accepts its first patient.

1989…Amy Stern is appointed Executive Director.

The first annual memorial service takes place and is attended by 75 people.

UHR is named a “Superhero of Rockland County” by the Rockland Journal News.

UHR holds its first fall benefit, a dinner dance honoring Ken Ingenito.

1990…First issue of Hospice newsletter published, sponsored by Orange & Rockland Utilities.

George Cox, M.D., becomes Medical Director, following retirement of Marvin Osofsky, M.D.

1991… Children’s Bereavement Program is established.

First annual “Tree of Life” celebration takes place, raising over $6,000.

1992… UHR’s reputation as the county’s primary resource on death, dying and bereavement is firmly established.  Hospice is called upon by schools and other community organizations to intervene in crisis situations. 

UHR volunteers provided nearly 3,000 hours of service with a realized cost savings of $53,000.  Volunteers collected and distributed holiday gifts for all UHR patients.

1993... Friends of Hospice formed.  They sponsor 60’s dance to benefit UHR.

UHR hires its first professional Director of Development.

1994…Nursing Home Program established in first two facilities, Northern Manor Nursing Home and the Rockland County Infirmary.

UHR admits our first patient who resides in a community residence for the developmentally disabled.

A program to train spiritual care volunteers is developed and implemented.

1995…The Supportive Care Program is established.  This program provides free ancillary services to individuals and families who are not eligible for hospice care.

A Spiritual Advisory Board is formed, drawing clergy from throughout the community.

UHR adds a full-time Outreach Coordinator position to increase our visibility in the community.

1996… “Hope and Harmony,” our first family bereavement retreat, is held for grieving children and their surviving parents.

UHR forms an Ethics Committee, drawing representatives from throughout the community.

UHR receives notice from Sen. Joseph Holland of a $20,000 grant from New York State to fund the establishment of a new Hospice Center.

The first class of specially-trained Home Health Aides graduates from UHR’s newly established Home Health Aide Training Program. 

UHR and Nyack Hospital co-sponsor viewing of a national teleconference on grief-related issues.

UHR and the Rockland County Girl Scouts receive wide acclaim for their Baskets of Love project.

1997…UHR begins its tenth year of service to the Rockland Community.

UHR receives “Accreditation with Commendation” from JCAHO, an honor awarded to only the top 3% of agencies surveyed by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. 

Bonnie Walsh is the first recipient of the Clinical Service Award given by the New York State Hospice Association.

1998…Bonnie Walsh, RN and Ann Coberg, RN were selected to receive Excellence in Practice Awards at a countywide nurse recognition ceremony.

UHR was one of only 5% of JCAHO accredited hospices that were selected for a random unannounced survey.  UHR was found to be in full compliance and was awarded Accreditation with Commendation.

UHR established a contract with Northern Riverview Nursing Home, which became the seventh nursing home (out of nine in Rockland County) to partner with UHR to offer their residents hospice services.

UHR “went on-line” with our website, www.hospiceofrockland.org, enabling us to provide another venue through which the community can gain knowledge about hospice care and other end-of-life issues.

UHR completed design of and received site plan approval for construction of a Hospice Center to be built in New City, New York.

Marcelle Malebranche, UHR’s longtime home health aide, received the Harvey A. Pachter Award for staff excellence.

1999...UHR raised $30,000 through grants - an all time hospice record.  Total development income exceeded $453,000 representing a 26% increase over the previous year.

In the spring of 1999, UHR held a ribbon cutting ceremony, which celebrated the start of construction of our Hospice Center.

Barbara Ferguson, UHR’s Home Health Aide Coordinator, received the Harvey A. Pachter Award for staff excellence.

During 1999, UHR served a total of 495 individuals and their families.  Members of the UHR interdisciplinary team made over 16,000 care visits. 

2000…June marked the completion of our newly constructed Hospice Center located off Main Street in New City. This 10,000 square foot building not only houses the administrative offices, but a variety of other facilities designed to meet the needs of the community that we serve.  In September, a grand opening was held which marked the “official” opening of the Hospice Center.  This invitation only event was attended by nearly three hundred people. 

UHR conducted a community wide outreach effort to promote the Bill Moyers/PBS series, “On Our Own Terms”.  This series explored the swirling controversies in law, public policy and medicine that arise in response to efforts to change the experience of dying.

UHR Spiritual Care Coordinator, Rabbi Yaakov Feldman, organized a seminar entitled, “Halachic End of Life Issues”.  This seminar was jointly sponsored with Northern Healthcare in an effort to expand our reach within the Orthodox and Hasidic communities.

Annual fundraising income exceeded $497,000, an all-time Hospice record, and a 10% increase over the 1999 total. 

Kaye Coriano, UHR’s Director of Counseling and Phyllis Sachs, UHR Social Worker presented a seminar entitled, “Creative Caring: Expanding Hospice Services to the Developmentally Disabled”, at the annual meeting of the New York State Hospice Association in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Jean Lachat, UHR nurse, received the Harvey A. Pachter Award for staff excellence.

2001…In response to the attacks on the World Trade Center, UHR worked collaboratively with several other agencies to establish and host the Rockland Assistance Center.  This center provided a wide array of services to the families of victims as well as displaced workers.

UHR’s capital campaign ended on a successful note.  More than $1,250,000 was raised. This includes the largest gift ever received, by UHR, $250,000 from Provident Bank.  The Provident Bank Hope and Healing Center was established in their honor.

UHR provided services to 420 patients and families facing serious illness. Over 700 individuals and families received bereavement counseling services. 

2002…UHR was a recipient of the Mental Health Association of Rockland’s Partnership Award recognizing our collaboration in the provision of services as part of the Rockland Assistance Center.

UHR publishes Physician's Guide to Hospice and End-of-Life Care, which was distributed to all physicians who follow patients on Hospice.

UHR offered a community education program entitled, “When a Community Weeps”. Guest speakers from Oklahoma City provided a lessons learned presentation about the provision of post-disaster services to the nearly 300 attendees.  

UHR established a hospice residence advisory committee to begin the work of creating the county’s first residence dedicated to caring for people with advanced illnesses.

2003…The Palliative Care Program at Nyack Hospital, a collaboration of Nyack Hospital and UHR, was established in May 2003.  The program was designed to address the physical, spiritual and psychosocial needs of hospitalized patients with advanced illness who do not qualify for hospice services or who are not ready to accept hospice services. 

George R. Cox, MD, the longtime UHR Medical Director, successfully passed the certification in exam in Hospice & Palliative Medicine.  He is the first physician in Rockland County to receive this designation.

Mary Lynne Schiller, Palliative Care Social Worker, was presented with the ‘Caught in the Act of Being Pastoral Award’ by Deacon Jim Gorman, director of the Nyack Hospital Pastoral Care Department.  Mary Lynne was the first non-hospital employee to receive this honor.

The first annual Children’s Memorial Rock Garden event took place on June 11, 2003.  Children who participated in the Healing Hearts Program as well as children from the community were invited to “plant” their hand painted rocks in the children’s garden at the Hospice Center.

2004…During 2004, UHR provided services to 522 patients and families.  This represents an increase of 7.6% over 2003.

In December 2004, UHR acquired 11 acres of lushly wooded property on which we will construct our county’s first hospice home.

The Faces of Hospice, a poignant documentary photo exhibit of hospice patients, family members and staff by volunteer photographer Ken Karlewicz, was exhibited at sites throughout the county.  Two of the photos in the display received first and second prize in the professional category in the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization's photo contest.

Lanie Etkind, UHR’s Director of Development since 1993, was selected as the first recipient of the Rockland Development Council’s Fundraising Professional of the Year award which was presented at the Rockland County Annual Philanthropy Day celebration.

In an effort to respond to an unmet need, UHR established our community based palliative care program which offers nursing, social work and volunteer services to individuals who are not medically eligible to receive and/or not ready to accept hospice services.

2005…During 2005, UHR provided services to 590 patients and families.  This represents a 13% increase in the number of patients and families served over 2004.

Michael Shilale Architects (New City) was selected to design the Hospice Home.  Based on a feasibility study that examined our ability to raise funds for the hospice home, a plan was recommended to the board of directors and subsequently adopted to raise $4.5 million to support the Hospice Home project.   UHR announced one of the largest cash gifts ever made to a local non-profit organization: Tess & Joe Raso pledge $2.6 million dollars to name the new Hospice Home.

Services provided by our extraordinary volunteer corps which numbers approximately 140, resulted in a cost savings for UHR of $258,307.

2006…UHR continues to serve the community……..