Hospice News

Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center
Offers Volunteer Training in Essex County  

Essex County, NJ – In April, the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center (BHHPCC), an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, will host training programs in Essex County for individuals interested in becoming a Hospice Volunteer. 

The volunteer training program is designed to give participants an understanding of the needs of patients and families who are coping with advanced illness. Program topics include Hospice History and Philosophy, Hospice Nursing, Spirituality in Hospice, Personal Death Awareness, Listening, and the Nuts and Bolts of Volunteering.  Upon completion of the program, volunteers will be connected with patients in close proximity to where they reside. 

For more information, or to register for a training program, please contact Spiro Ballas, Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center Senior Volunteer Coordinator, at 973-322-4866 or sballas@barnabashealth.org.

Training programs will be offered as follows:

• Beginning Wednesday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville
  
  
• Beginning Tuesday, April 26, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
  Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark
  
  
• Beginning Friday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center, West Orange

Established in 1981, Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center provides comprehensive physical, emotional and spiritual care and support services for patients with advanced illness and their families throughout ten counties in the State of New Jersey. The program, which serves infants, children, adults and the elderly, honors the unique choices and values of patients and their families while offering full access to the broad array of services provided by the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.

“In as few as three hours a week, volunteers can make a tremendous difference in the life of a patient coping with advanced illness,” explains Ballas.  “Volunteers can read to patients, hold their hand, or just spend time with them while their loved ones take a breather.  They are also a resource to families, typically helping by listening to their thoughts and concerns or assisting them with small tasks.  When you volunteer for hospice you get back as much as you give.”   

Date: March 18, 2011

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