SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – During November, the home care and hospice community honor the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a difference for the patients and families they serve. The provider based service palliative care is also honored. These caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the panhandle.

“It is our privilege and an honor to be able to provide this care,” said Vicki Holt, MSN, RN CHPN, Regional West director of Home Care and Hospice.

Regional West developed Nebraska’s first Home Care service in 1967 to provide health care and supportive services in patients’ homes; caring for people of all ages from infants to seniors.

Today, Regional West Home Care is licensed and certified to provide care in 19 panhandle counties, including: Sioux, Dawes, Box Butte, Sheridan, Cherry, Grant, Arthur, Garden, Keith, Perkins, Hayes, Lincoln, Chase, Deuel, Cheyenne, Morrill, Kimball, Banner, and Scotts Bluff. Regional West Home Care is accredited by The Joint Commission, and is a certified Medicare/Medicaid provider.

In addition to Home Care, Regional West provides support and specialized care for terminally ill individuals and their families through Regional West Hospice.

Hospice assesses and addresses physical, social, spiritual, and psychological issues to alleviate pain, symptoms, and suffering and improve the quality of life of those in their last months of life. Hospice is available to anyone who has Medicare Part A, Medicaid, or most private insurances. 

For more information on Home Care or Hospice services, contact Vicki Holt, director of Home Care and Hospice, at 308-630-1596 or at Vicki.Holt@rwhs.org.

Palliative medicine is specialized care that focuses on relieving the symptoms, pain, and stresses of a serious illness while seeking to improve the quality of life for both patients with serious illness and their families. Palliative medicine can help any time in the course of a serious illness, no matter the diagnosis or treatment.

“Individuals or families dealing with a serious or life-changing illness are often overwhelmed by physical changes and/or suffering and by the complexity of the medical system,” said Connie Beehler, MD, FAAHPM. “Our goal is to help the patient have the best quality of life possible, under the circumstances. We work with patients and families to reduce suffering, navigate the system and identify the treatments that are most likely to help them meet their goals. We often hear from families and patients how much difference Palliative Care’s assistance has made for them.”

The Palliative Care team at Regional West includes Connie Beehler, MD, FAAHPM, and Deborah Moore, GNP-BC. Call Regional West Physicians Clinic-Palliative Medicine at 308-630-1002 to learn more.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.