Core Values that Drive Patient Care

As indicated on the previous post, Access Homecare and Hospice has been following three core values – Accountability, Customer Service, and Teamwork.  All branch locations have been asked to share something in their office to remind them daily of these core values.  The Access Ogden location has a great poem posted throughout the office and in the nurse’s station.  Its intent is to remind us of how important each patient is.  We would like to share that poem with all of you.

“A patient is the most important person in our company.  He is not dependent on us.  We are dependent on him.  He is not an interruption in our work.  He is the purpose of it.  We are not doing him a favor by serving him.  He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

At Access we are so grateful to our patients and their families for allowing us into their lives.  We grow close to each patient and enjoy every minute we are able to spend helping make their life better.

Access Home Care and Hospice's Harlem Shake

Along with the rest of the company, the Salt Lake City, Utah office recently had their Core Value meeting. The meeting is designed to promote Access Home Care and Hospice's three core values:

1. Accountability - We are accountable for our actions 100% of the time, with zero excuses
2. Customer Service - We are a customer service company that does home care and hospice
3. Teamwork - We divide the task and multiply the successes

In an effort to display teamwork, the Salt Lake City office put together Access' first ever Harlem Shake.  Please watch the video and enjoy a great display of teamwork!

ACCESS HOMECARE AND HOSPICE PROUD TO SPONSOR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

Access Home Care and Hospice is proud to serve our local communities and support the endeavors of local students. An example of this support is to a very determined and  gifted high school student in southern Idaho.

Tyona Carter is presently a junior at Preston High School in Preston, Idaho. We heard about her unique opportunity from her mother, MaRee Carter (who happens to be one of our exceptional hospice nurses). We were intrigued by her story and her determination to one day become an anesthesiologist.  She was selected to represent her high school to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum of Medicine in New York City. There are only a select few students who earn this opportunity nationwide. Access feels it a privilege to help get her to New York. She and the other students who have been selected throughout the country will be able to visit the New York University School of Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine and other prestigious institutions of education. She will also be afforded the opportunity to observe surgical procedures and assist in an emergency room, receiving valuable hands-on exposure to the field of medicine.  

Access Home Care and Hospice is excited for her and the things she will learn to help her get a few steps closer to her dream of becoming an anesthesiologist. We recognize the value of local people caring for their friends and neighbors. We wish Tyona the very best and we will be following her progress throughout the years as she gets closer to realizing her dream.  Congratulations, Tyona, and best wishes for a bright future!!!

Access' Own Wound and Ostomy Certified Nurse

Access Home Care and Hospice has many qualified CNA's, nurses, and physicians in various practical disciplines that greatly enhance the level of care that we provide.  One certification that is extremely helpful to physicians, hospitals, and the community at large is that of wound and ostomy care.  The Morning News in Blackfoot, Idaho agreed and recognized Valerie Pascoe, RN Director for Access Home Care and Hospice. She received her certification through the National Alliance of Wound Care. To learn more about what that entails, go here.  

As a wound specialist, Valerie also is a source of knowledge and expertise to the rest of the Access Home Care staff.  Access Home Care is proud to offer the most cutting edge home health to the communities in Eastern Idaho, Northern Utah, and Western Wyoming.

New Office Location for Access Home Care and Hospice in Blackfoot, Idaho

We are very excited to announce our new office location in Blackfoot, Idaho. It was necessary to make this move to a more spacious location after the tremendous growth we have seen in the last year in Blackfoot and Idaho Falls. After lots of hard work and dedication from the entire staff, Access is pleased to be a firm part of the Blackfoot community for many years to come. As warmer weather comes, an open house will be announced.  The new address is:

Access Home Care and Hospice

131 N. Oak St. 

Blackfoot, Idaho 83221

Access Hospice Participates on PRX - Public Radio Exchange

Ericka Thayn RN, Patient Care Coordinator and Velana Roth LMSW, Social Worker for Access Hospice in Pocatello, Idaho participated as invited guests on KISU House Call.  Host of the show are Doctors Fahim and Naeem Rahim, Nephologists for the Idaho Kidney Institute.  They discussed the topic of hospice and its many benefits to those determined to be diagnosed with a life limiting illness.  To hear the informative and entertaining discussion, go here.

To learn more about Dr. Nahim and Faeem Rahim, including their life of extraordinary service to their community, go to their website here.

Access Hospice joins these two great physicians in their quest for quality healthcare. Visit the Access Home Care and Hospice website in order to learn more about how Access can help you or a loved one.

Access Focuses on Heart Month

At Access, we find it important each month to focus on a particular disease that is a common affliction suffered by many. This month, known as Heart Month, our focus is on cardiovascular disease.

According to the Center of Disease Control, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. These conditions are also leading causes of disability preventing people from working and enjoying family activities. Cardiovascular disease is also very expensive—together heart disease and stroke hospitalizations in 2010 cost the nation more than $444 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity. Unfortunately, we are not immune to disease regardless of how careful we are. However, we can fight back against heart disease and stroke.

Regrettably, almost every person knows of someone who has had heart disease.  As a company, Access prides itself on taking care of your loved ones who suffer with heart disease and are in need of our care. The following prevention programs and activities can help you or your loved ones prevent such circumstances from occurring: 

• Get up and get active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
• Know your ABCS:
• Ask your doctor if you should take Aspirin every day.
• Find out if you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, and if you do, get effective treatment.
• If you smoke, get help to quit.
• Make your calories count by eating a heart-healthy diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Take control of your heart health by following your doctor's prescription instructions.
• Reduce the amount of sodium and trans fat consumption.

These changes could reduce medical treatment for high blood pressure or cholesterol—and ultimately prevent heart attacks and strokes.

"Heart disease takes the lives of far too many people in this country, depriving their families and communities of someone they love and care for—a father, a mother, a wife, a friend, a neighbor, a spouse. With more than 2 million heart attacks and strokes a year, and 800,000 deaths, just about all of us have been touched by someone who has had heart disease, heart attack, or a stroke."
- Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

It’s also important to know that many people are not aware that they have cardiovascular disease and confuse these symptoms with normal signs of aging. The Acronym “FACES” is an easy way to identify symptoms, and a strong preventive tool to use:


“F” fatigue or tiredness.

“A” activity becomes limited or reduced.

“C” chest congestion or cough.

“E” stands for edema (swelling) in your ankles.

“S” stands for shortness of breath.

If any of these symptoms do occur, please contact your doctor to see if any of these symptoms are related to cardiovascular disease.  

Access Home Care and Hospice is highly regarded for making sure patients are given the utmost care when suffering from cardiovascular disease in the home. We hope these preventive tools are beneficial for you and your loved ones.  Please join us in support of Heart Month.