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.