Leaders in cancer support and end-of-life care from Montezuma and Dolores counties addressed the Mancos Board of Trustees on Wednesday to thank the town for its financial contribution and highlight lesser-known resources they provide.
“We are mandated to provide bereavement services to our hospice patient families after a death. However, it’s not funded anywhere,” said Carol Baumgartner of Hospice of Montezuma, adding that the town’s $1,500 contribution in January helped grief support services continue for Montezuma and Dolores counties residents.
The Hospice of Montezuma website lists free support groups and individual services for people experiencing specific types of grief, including the loss of a child, suicide support, men’s and women’s groups and others.
According to the organization, these services reached more than 1,500 people in the counties last year. However, in written and oral reports to the board, hospice representatives described suboptimal attendance, a lack of awareness affecting outreach sessions and a surplus of equipment in storage.
“At the moment we have a very fancy electric wheelchair, with a ramp that hooks to your car and everything, looking for a home because we can’t use it for our patients and so we’re looking for somebody who does need it,” Baumgartner said.
Beyond palliative care, Hospice of Montezuma offers medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility tools at no cost to community members. The organization also provides end-of-life preparedness sessions. On April 22, Hospice of Montezuma brought together insurance, legal, financial and health care experts for an information session on advance directives, which outline a person’s wishes when they are unable to communicate their decisions.
“We also received some funding this year to be able to do that as webinars because people always can’t come to an all-day presentation,” Baumgartner said. “And so we’re hoping to provide some of that information out to the community throughout the year.”
Cancer Resource Alliance is another recipient of the town of Mancos’ grants. Sue Tompkins, the organization’s treasurer, said the $1,500 grant supports financial assistance for cancer patients in the region.
Last year, 13% of patient applicants lived in Mancos – 16 out of 117. Eligible applicants, including those with a cancer diagnosis or those receiving cancer treatment in Montezuma and Dolores counties, can apply using a form available on the organization’s website.
“This year we have given $700 to each applicant,” Tompkins said. “We’ve never turned away anyone who has applied to us for funds.”
Tompkins said Southwest Memorial Hospital is beginning a partnership with Cancer Resource Alliance, transferring money from its former cancer fund and expanding the organization’s reach.
“They are going to give us all of their funds to add to our work. So we’re quite excited about that,” Tompkins said.
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