NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017 - 13

that the hospice has made available
include 911 operators, night staff at
funeral homes who were overwhelmed
on October 1, and even Red Cross
volunteers who were not fully trained
yet were called into service due to the
magnitude of the tragedy.
A Safe Place
The offices of Infinity Hospice
became a center of support for those
on staff who stepped up to serve. The
atmosphere in the city could be
described as chaotic at best, and it
was necessary to have a place where
hospice staff could find a safe place
to talk about what they were
experiencing, find food and
necessary sustenance, and know
there was a place where they could
get centered and grounded.
Leadership Support
Support to the community and to the
Infinity staff came right from the top.
Mary Bertram, president, Darren
Bertram, CEO, and Brian Bertram,
vice president made sure that the
organization's commitment was clear
and strongly affirmed. A core value
of the organization is "making a
difference in the lives of others." This
is not just about hospice patients, but
all people. The opportunity to engage
with the community in many ways
reflects this core value.
Team members were not obligated to
volunteer in the response efforts, yet
90 percent of the licensed staff at
Infinity Hospice stepped forward to
address the needs of the community.
And staff time dedicated to response

efforts were done and continue to be
done during the employee's
scheduled work time. No one was
expected to donate their free time to
response efforts.
Lessons for the Future
The team from Infinity Hospice has
been able to take some time to assess
their response and they offered some
thoughts about steps they are
considering as they build on their
emergency response plan:
■ They will take advantage of
critical incident training courses
available online for staff.

R to L: Tracy Sundberg (R)and Kim Anderson (L)
of Infinity Hospice Care with Clark County
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo at the Night of
Healing event co-sponsored by Infinity.

■ They will look at what would be
required to be a possible
emergency triage site for the
community for a future large-scale
public emergency.
■ They hope to be an official
designated blood donation center
in times of emergency.
■ They are strengthening
communication and relationships
with local emergency responders,
the city's crisis management
program, and other service
providers so coordination of
efforts can happen as seamlessly
as possible in times of need.

Dee Williams NCCA, LCPC of Infinity Hospice
Care lead a team to support the 911 operators
that were on duty the night of October 1.

One of the most powerful examples
of the value of their response efforts
has been the knowledge that many
traumatized citizens of Las Vegas
have learned that they are not alone
and that caring and compassionate
support is available to help them cope
with this life-changing event.
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Winter 2017 | NHPCO NewsLine

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017
