DeWitt Commissioners designate November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
By Clayton Kelley
The DeWitt County Commissioners Court made a proclamation designating November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month at the Nov. 12 meeting.
“ I encourage all (people) to increase their knowledge about holistic care for all individuals facing serious and life-threatening illness,” Judge Daryl Fowler said.
The Hospice of South Texas was there to receive the proclamation.
"Our goal is to spread awareness on the things we do and how we help people,” Hospice of South Texas Community Liaison Pamela Gossett said. “We’ve been in the DeWitt County community going on 40 years. We are the only non-profit hospice in our area, and we are also the only hospice that has an in-patient center.”
The Hospice of South Texas is also the only CMS five-star rated hospice in the area. CMS is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is a branch of Medicare that is in charge of monitoring the care the patients receive.
“That is the highest star rating you can be and that is based solely on the surveys the families fill out after their loved one has passed on the care that their loved one received,” Gossett said. “We’re here in the community and are always looking for ways to get our word out and debunk the idea of what hospice is. It’s really not a scary thing, it’s instead a blessing.”
Other items on the agenda include:
• Commissioners approved an interlocal agreement to allow DeWitt County to participate in the Harris County Department of Education Choice Partners cooperative purchasing program. This will permit the county to purchase goods and services through their competitively bid contracts.
• Commissioners approved a contract between the San Patricio County Juvenile Board and DeWitt County for detention services of juveniles. This will begin in January of 2025 and will last a year.
• Commissioners received letters from the cities of Cuero, Yorktown, Nordheim and the Green DeWitt Drainage District stating their intent to participate in the DeWitt County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update.
• A proposal of chiller service and maintenance in the DeWitt County Courthouse was approved.
• Friends of Elder Citizens were on the agenda to present a meal delivery program, but no representative was at the meeting.
• The county’s personnel policy is outdated and needs to be changed. At a previous commissioners court meeting, a committee was designed to look at this and come back at the first of the year to bring an updated policy. The committee members have an official schedule to look at this now.
• All precinct commissioners were in attendance except for Precinct 2 Commissioner James Pilchiek.
• All precinct operations were reported as normal.