Care outside the hospital
Did you know that Blue Mountain Hospital District provides
hospice, in-home and home health outpatient clinic services?
By Sylvia Ross
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
Hospice
Did you know we have a team of people
who go to people’s homes to provide end of
life care? We have nurses, a social worker,
aides, a spiritual counselor and a medical di-
rector who make up the in-home team. And
we have a wonderful support staff here at the
office that makes everything run smoothly.
The nurses are on call around the clock to be
prepared for any of our patients’ needs.
Home Health
Did you know if you are sick or injured
we will come to your home and help to treat
your wounds or rehabilitate you back to your
pre-illness or pre-injury state? We have nurs-
ing, aides, a social worker, an occupational
therapist, a physical therapist, and of course,
we work closely with the patient’s physician
and other community resources that may be
helpful. Blue Mountain Home Health is for
those who have a hard time leaving their
home for medical care. We strive to have
Contributed photo
Blue Mountain Hospital District Home Health and Hospice staff.
quality healthcare in your home.
Home Health Outpatient Clinic
Did you know we offer a variety of things
here in our office? We offer one-hour foot
appointments, wound care, ear irrigation and
also foley catheter care. These clinics are for
people who are ambulatory.
If you have questions, please call our of-
fice at 541-575-1648 or email Sylvia Ross at
sross@bluemountainhospital.org.
Sylvia Ross, RN, is director of Home
Health and Hospice for Blue Mountain Hos-
pital District.
Care center provides long-term, day and respite care
40-bed, intermediate care
facility Medicaid certified
By Jonie Jones
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
B
lue Mountain Care Center is a 40-bed,
intermediate care facility.
The care center is a non-profit or-
ganization that is part of the Blue Mountain
Hospital District. We are Medicaid certified
only (not Medicare), providing long-term
care, day care and respite care. We also ac-
cept private pay and long-term care insur-
ance.
Our mission is to make each resident
feel like part of our family. It is the goal of
BMHD to keep each resident functioning at
their highest level of independence while
26 || Family Health Guide 2017
maintaining a high de-
gree of dignity and respect
centered on their personal
wishes. Each resident must
have a local physician who
will make rounds at the care
center every 30 days, for
Jonie
the first 90 days, then every
Jones
60 days thereafter. Appoint-
ments can be made at the physician’s office
more often if necessary; nurses are in close
contact with the doctors as well. Blue Moun-
tain Care Center employs licensed nursing
staff 24 hours per day and certified nursing
assistants to provide the day-to-day care for
our residents. Blue Mountain Care Center
has always met or exceeded the state’s man-
dated staffing ratio.
We have an excellent dietary staff that
serves delicious home-cooked meals un-
der the supervision of a registered dietitian.
They offer special diets to meet every res-
ident’s needs. The last Thursday of each
month, the residents create their own menu
for the lunch meal. Family and friends are
encouraged to attend.
Blue Mountain Care Center also has a
full-time Social Service Department that
meets the psychosocial needs of each resi-
dent individually. The Activities Department
provides a large range of activities such
as gardening, picnics, fishing trips, week-
ly drives and outings to events and regular
lunches at the senior centers. Activities are
centered on the preference of the resident
and trying to keep them involved in activ-
ities, just as they were prior to placement.
Jonie Jones is the administrator and so-
cial service director for Blue Mountain Hos-
pital District’s Blue Mountain Care Center.