Oaklawn Hospice staff earn new top national family-satisfaction award

MARSHALL –  The staff of Oaklawn Hospice are recipients of a SHPBest Premier Performer family-satisfaction award for calendar year 2022, issued by Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Strategic Healthcare Programs LLC.

“This award for our work during 2022 indicates that our hospice team is in the top five percent in the nation when it comes to family satisfaction,” said Carolle Hicks, RN, HCS-D, who is administrator of Oaklawn Hospice.

The award is the fourth time the organization’s staff have been so honored since 2018.

“In recent years, we have experienced significant challenges related to COVID-19 and I am exceedingly proud of the ongoing dedication and interdisciplinary teamwork that this award represents,” Hicks said.

The 2022 award recipients were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall survey satisfaction score for more than 1,750 hospice providers through the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospice Survey, said officials for Strategic Healthcare Programs. The organization’s website is www.shpdata.com.

The awards are based on assessment data supplied by medical providers to identify and recognize organizations that have made family and caregiver satisfaction a priority. Such information is collected from families of patients based on their experiences with hospice organizations and their services.

Oaklawn Hospice’s staff offer specialized serves in medicine, nursing, home health aid, social work, spiritual care, volunteer services and bereavement counseling.

“We genuinely care about each and every one of our patients,” Hicks said. “Our hospice families truly matter to us. That’s part of our culture. We have the privilege of taking care of our own community members.”

Because of the range of skills among team members, patients and their families receive a variety of services that extend beyond physical care, including mental and spiritual assistance, she said.

“We are taking care of patients and their families at very delicate times,” Hicks said. “We are always prepared to address very specific needs very quickly, so they know that they are not alone. We will be there for them, at any time – day or night.”

Oaklawn Hospice has worked for many years to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of persons with life-limiting conditions and their families, Hicks said.

The organization’s bereavement services are made available free of charge for at least 13 months after the death of a loved one. Such services include an annual memorial, monthly bereavement support mailings, grief support groups, monthly lunch group and a lending library featuring grief support books.

Oaklawn Hospice’s offices are at 13444 Preston Drive in Marshall, and may be contacted at (269) 789-3939.