Pioneers Home Health turns 25

MEEKER I On Dec. 13, Pioneers Medical Center turned 25 years old.
“Twenty-five years is a great milestone,” said Betty Lou Moyer, RN, BSN, and director of PMC’s Home Health. “In those 25 years, Pioneers Hospital Home Health has been traveling to homes providing health care and compassion while also fostering independence to more than 750 Meeker residents.”
In 1988, Pioneers Hospital opened Pioneers Hospital Home Health agency. Prior to that, Rio Blanco County Public Health Nursing provided the service — Diana Watson and Connie Hughes were two of the forerunner nurses providing this service via RBC Public Health Nursing.
As the need for home visits grew, the PMC Home Health Agency was created with staff dedicated to the purpose of in-home care. Currently, nurse aides, nurses and therapists are making approximately 200 visits per month.
“Many think ‘house calls’ are a thing of the past,” Moyer said. “But on occasion, physicians, nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants have also completed home visits.”
This is a huge benefit in the Meeker area that is not always seen in most communities. The Home Health staff coordinates with each patient’s doctor to offer a wide range of services, including medication and disease management, IV therapy, ostomy, wound and catheter care, personal care and hygiene, exercise therapy, assistance with activities of daily living, pain control and restorative and rehabilitative services after surgery.
Past and current home care staff members have shown many attributes such as compassion, courage and dedication.
Current staff includes: certified nurse’s aides Vicki Crawford and Tiffany Piper; registered nurses Jen Phelan, Lisa Piper and Betty Lou Moyer; physical therapist Christer Ljungqvist; speech-language pathologist Natosha Clatterbaugh; and occupational therapist Geri Camera.
“… if we can make it possible for someone to receive the care they need in the home, we allow them dignity and independence,” Clatterbaugh said. “Providing care in the home allows me to tailor my services to better fit their needs.”
The banner present on the Rio Blanco County Courthouse lawn announces this home care service celebration. Please join us in recognizing the many home-care providers in the past and present here in the Meeker community.