Kaweah Delta Hospice Delivers Fresh Turkeys And Thanksgiving Fixings To Families
VISALIA – To help brighten the Thanksgiving holiday for family members
who have a loved one receiving hospice care, Kaweah Delta Hospice has
delivered fresh turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings to 101 families –
the most families ever to receive this gift.
“These families are facing a tough time during the holiday. This
is our gift so they don’t have to go face the hustle and bustle
to have a nice family dinner for Thanksgiving,” said Pam Hauschel,
Kaweah Delta Hospice’s office lead specialist who organized the
project for the past seven years. “It’s worth it just to see
them smile because someone remembered them during this difficult time.”

The Visalia Breakfast Lions Club provided the fresh turkeys and Kaweah
Delta Hospice staff, along with other district staff and community organizations
including the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the
Professional Law Enforcement Managers Association provided other fixings.
Kaweah Delta Hospice families such as Margaret and Ramon Sandoval were
among those thankful for the gift of a Thanksgiving dinner. Their 3-year-old
son Angel has been on Kaweah Delta Hospice since birth due to a rare congenital
birth defect which involves deformities of the face and a respiratory illness.

“We’re praying that he doesn’t get sick and he won’t
be in the hospital for Thanksgiving,” said Angel’s mother Margaret.
The delivery of a fresh turkey and groceries helped ensure that the Sandovals
wouldn’t have to venture out and bring home any germs to Angel,
who is susceptible to infection.
“Every year around this time we are in and out of the hospital because
he’ll get pneumonia,” Margaret said. “We’ve had
some scary moments.”
Kaweah Delta Hospice, a division of Kaweah Delta Health Care District,
is located at 623 W. Willow St., Visalia. The not-for-profit healthcare
organization dedicated to helping patients with end-of-life comfort care
wherever they live in Tulare County - at home, in a residential care facility,
or at a skilled nursing facility. The organization works to relieve pain
and other symptoms, as well as provide emotional support and spiritual
counseling. Patients and their families are offered a variety of services
designed to cover every aspect of their lives including a physician, a
nurse, a home health aide, a chaplain, a social worker and bereavement
counseling.
Established in 1963, Kaweah Delta Health Care District is the only trauma
center between Fresno and Bakersfield. Kaweah Delta Medical Center was
recently awarded four out of five stars in overall hospital quality from
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and an A in hospital
safety in Leapfrog’s Fall 2016 Hospital Safety Score. The district
offers a comprehensive scope of services including everything from a well-respected
pediatric hospitalist program to nationally recognized orthopedic and
cancer programs.