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.

Get to Know Dr. Redd - Hospice Medical Director for Access Hospice, Logan, Utah

Dr. Redd was raised in Murray, Utah. He was educated in the Granite School District, participating in science and music and excelling in auto mechanics. Agriculture was a significant part of his childhood and adolescence. He started his own business doing custom plowing at the age of 11, doing so until leaving on a mission for the LDS church at the age of 19. After serving a mission in Southern Brazil, Dr. Redd continued his education at BYU, earning a degree in Chemistry and graduating with honors. He financed college through hard work—milking cows and cleaning chicken coops.

  

After earning his undergraduate degree, Dr. Redd earned a Medical Degree at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University, again finishing with honors.

 

After his residency, Dr. Redd practiced internal medicine for 16 years in Logan, Utah.  Then, the Bear River Health Department hired him as Deputy Director and Medical Officer where he oversees health issues for Cache, Box Elder, and Rich counties. In addition to his responsibilities at the health department, he has served as Chairman of the Cache Valley Air Quality Task Force, Medical Director for IHC Hospice, Cache Valley Region, and Emergency Department Physician at Logan Regional Hospital. He has also shown his capabilities in other areas, farming wheat and other crops in Lewiston, Utah, for 14 years; owning and managing an apartment complex in Logan for ten years; continuing his interest and expertise in auto mechanics; participating as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America for 17 years; mentoring refugees; and raising four children with his wife of 32 years, Susan Jackson Redd.

  

In addition to his responsibilities at the Health Department, Dr. Redd is currently serving as:

Deputy Medical Examiner for the Cache County Coroner

Off-line Medical Control Officer for Cache County EMS

Cache County Jail Physician, providing inmate healthcare, including alcohol and drug detox

Bear River Mental Health physician, providing outpatient and inpatient care for people suffering with mental illness

Patients for Access Hospice can feel very comfortable with Dr. Redd's knowledge and expertise in end-of-life care.  The Access Hospice team, as well as the patients, welcome Dr. Redd as a hospice Medical Director.