Guthrie Pennsylvania Hospice Earns Silver Status from Veterans Care Organization

Guthrie Hospice Towanda is pleased to announce it has achieved Silver-level recognition from We Honor Veterans, a national organization devoted to the commitment and care of those who served in the military. 

While Guthrie Hospice Towanda has always celebrated and provided high-quality care for veterans, the Silver status honors their work to expand the incorporation of veteran-focused practices into daily operation, to deepen relationships with other organizations that serve vets, and its community outreach to increase the hospice’s local impact on veterans and their families.

The achievement also builds on work that began several years ago under the leadership of Hospice Director Miller Anja Miller, who helped establish Guthrie Hospice Towanda as a participant in the We Honor Veterans program. The Silver-level recognition reflects the organization's continued commitment to expanding services and support for veterans and their families.

"Veterans are an important part of the communities we serve, and Guthrie Hospice is proud to honor their service through compassionate, veteran-centered care," Miller said.

Chelsey Heatley, a Medical Social Worker with Guthrie Hospice Towanda, said that the relationship-building required by We Honor Veterans affiliation is a critical asset for serving the large veteran population in the Twin Tiers. She’s been able to spread the word about hospice resources for veterans but has also learned about programs at other organizations that don’t have much awareness around them. 

“If we don’t know everything that’s available to veterans, we can still help them, but not as well as we could,” she said. “This partnership really opens up a lot of doors to networks that allow us to identify more opportunities for veterans.” 

Assistance can come in many forms: mental health counseling, telehealth, spousal support through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or other federal benefits for which vets may not realize they qualify. 

At Guthrie Hospice Towanda, Heatley works extensively with nursing staff to ensure care is centered around veterans, while noting that older generations especially may be reluctant to accept help at first. 

“We just have to learn how to navigate that appropriately and make sure that they're getting the care and the resources that are available to them,” she said. “It’s a matter of getting someone to understand that it’s OK to accept the help, that they’ll have a team behind them just like they did when they were serving, and that we’re a team they can rely on.” 

Guthrie Hospice Vestal has been recognized at the Gold level and Heatley is now working toward that level for Guthrie Hospice Towanda, expanding upon the work she’s already led and introducing new programs such as veteran-to-veteran social opportunities- in this case, ice cream socials. 

Guthrie Hospice Towanda will host its first veteran ice cream social at noon Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Bradford Hills, 15900 Route 6, Troy, Pa. The event is open not only to hospice patients who are veterans, but also to veterans in the community who are not receiving hospice services, creating an opportunity for connection, fellowship and access to resources.

One big challenge Heatley identified is finding volunteers with military experience to sit and talk with the veterans receiving hospice care. 

“Some do talk about their time in the service but would just be more comfortable with someone whose experienced that as well,” she said. 

Individuals interested in supporting local veterans and hospice patients as a Guthrie Hospice volunteer can learn more at Guthrie Hospice Volunteers or call 570-265-8615.