Meet Jennifer Hovendon, Elizabeth House Staff Physician

Jennifer Hovendon, MD, has been a caring staff physician at Four Seasons’ Elizabeth House since 2004. She is deeply committed to providing the most holistic and compassionate care to patients and their families while focusing on excellence in the management of complex symptoms. Helping patients and families understand what to expect next is a crucial part of her everyday role.

Jennifer grew up in Westchester Count y, New York. She graduated from Amherst College in western Massachusetts with degrees in biology and French language and literature. She earned her MD degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1994. Moving ever southward, she completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she served as Co-Chief Resident.

She moved to Hendersonville in 1997, joining Blue Ridge Community Health Services as a primary care physician. She then became a clinical facult y member for the Hendersonville Family Practice Residency Program for 4 years prior to joining Four Seasons. She is board certified in both Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine.

Jennifer and her husband keep busy at home with their two children and a menagerie of pets. She also currently serves on the board of Our Children’s Place, an innovative correctional program designed to help break the intergenerational cycle of crime, poverty, substance abuse and family violence.

Four Seasons Anticipates the Future

I think many of you would agree that we are living in very interesting times. This statement is not meant to be negative in nature; quite the contrary. While every facet of the healthcare industry is facing changes and some level of uncertainty, change often creates opportunity for those who are prepared to seize it. I’m convinced that Four Seasons is positioned well to not only meet the challenges of a changing landscape, but to thrive in such an environment. The Leadership of Four Seasons (Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors) has not been resting on its laurels and celebrating its past success. While 2009 was an amazing year for our organization, capped off by the receipt of the coveted Circle of Life Award, the leadership of Four Seasons has been busily at work looking for ways to reach more people in Western North Carolina with quality end of life care and to continue building the infrastructure to carry our organization well into the future.

Recently, in a meeting of the Board’s Executive Committee staff outlined various initiatives that are currently being pursued. Each was categorized by its role in helping Four Seasons achieve its goals and prioritized based on the positive impact it will have on the organization. These initiatives included expanding the depth and breadth of existing services along with filling in gaps that will provide an even greater experience for our patients and their families. While it would not be prudent to outline these opportunities in great detail at this time, it is safe to say there is a tremendous amount of strategic planning being done by the Four Seasons team.

As we continue to move forward with these strategic initiatives we will again reach out to the Four Seasons Community to make you aware of the role that you can play in helping our organization accomplish even greater success in the future.

As always, we thank you for your continued support of Four Seasons. Stay tuned!

Written by Greg Burnette, Four Seasons Board Chair

Green Disposal of Medications Step-by-Step

Items you will need
• Kitty litter, flour, or coffee grounds
• Rubbing alcohol or water
• Sealable plastic bag or empty margarine or whipped cream-type container
• Plastic grocery bag
• Small hammer (optional)
• Duct tape (optional)
• Paper towel (optional)

Step-by-step
1. Take pills out of original containers, placing in paper towel and folding.
2. Gently crush pills with hammer. This step is optional, as the pills will eventually dissolve into the mixture,     but crushing pills quickens the process.
3. Add remains of crushed pills, capsules, and any other medications, like liquids, to plastic bag or container.
4. Add enough alcohol or water to cover medications.
5. Add kitty litter, flour, or coffee grounds. Helps conceal and makes meds unappealing to anyone that might be tempted to abuse them.
6. Seal and gently tilt side to side to mix.
7. If using a container with a lid secure with duct tape.
8. Place container and paper towel in plastic grocery bag and place in trash. This will help conceal medications and keep them out of the groundwater longer.
9. Remove labels from empty medicine containers or use black marker to cover any personal information before discarding in trash. Protects your privacy.

Special considerations

• Liquids, IV medications, and suppositories only need to be mixed with kitty litter or coffee grounds.
• Transdermal Patches: Using disposable gloves when available, remove patches from the packaging. Cut the patch in half carefully, handling it by the edges. Wash hands thoroughly if medicine comes in contact with skin. Place in a plastic container. Add kitty litter or flour to the container.
• Medicated Ointments and Creams: Mix kitty litter or flour into the original container. If this is not feasible, squeeze or scoop medication into a plastic container and mix in the kitty litter or flour.
• Various medications can be mixed together in one bag or container.

The FDA currently recommends flushing certain medications, mostly strong pain medications. Click below to go to the FDA web site to see the medications listed.

FDA Website

Four Seasons Honors Volunteers & Jean Hoogstra at Reception

Four Seasons celebrated National Volunteer Week on April 20th at Blue Ridge Community College with the 19th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Reception honoring over 370 dedicated volunteers.

At the event, Jean Moulthrop Hoogstra, Four Seasons founder and matriarch, was recognized for her 30 years of volunteering. She spoke to the nearly 130 volunteers in attendance about the importance of volunteering and what Four Seasons has meant to her. Staff members surprised her by unveiling a new sign for the agency on South Allen Road: Four Seasons - The Jean Moulthrop Hoogstra Community Campus.

Four Seasons volunteers’ contributions of time and talent have served over 1,100 hospice patients during the past year. In 2009, they donated 29,983 hours for an estimated cost savings of $607,156.

Four Seasons volunteers perform a wide variety of jobs, from sitting at the bedside of a patient to data entry, from working at the Hospice Home Store to sewing hundreds of gowns and pillows. Volunteers work on the Board of Directors, provide landscaping to the Elizabeth House gardens and help with several annual fund-raising events. They stuff envelopes, provide respite to care givers, educate our community about hospice and palliative care, help with our children’s grief camp and work at our inpatient facility, Elizabeth House. Volunteers do not need a medical background - they come from all walks of life.

If you are interested in joining the Four Seasons volunteer team or want to hear about other ways to help, call Donna Nawrocki at 828-692-6178.

Four Seasons Care Video

About Us

Four Seasons affirms life and provides holistic care in harmony with the goals of individuals with chronic, serious, or life-limiting conditions while offering support to their families and loved ones.

For more information about our services please visit:

http://fourseasonscfl.org/who-we-are.php

http://seriousillness.org/fourseasons/index.php

Position Available: Development Project Coordinator

Four Seasons is seeking a full time Development Project Coordinator to oversee event and social media fundraising projects. Experience in marketing, business development and/or fundraising preferred.

Download Application (.pdf)

Email Résumé

Position Available: Home Store Assistant

The Home Store Assistant supports the manager and staff in the day to day operations of the Hendersonville store. The ideal candidate must have excellent customer service skills, be able to work with volunteer staff, and run a register. Candidate must be able to pick up and deliver donated articles and must be able to lift up to 75 lbs. This position will work part time days (not benefits eligible) Monday-Saturday. Re-sale shop experience or retail experience required.

Download Application (.pdf)

Email Résumé

Clinical Research Position Available

Full time position will manage all aspects of clinical research studies. Responsibilities will include obtaining patient consents, assuring adequate protection of subjects, ensuring compliance with protocol guidelines and requirements of regulatory agencies, ensuring the accuracy and quality of patient data collected and study documentation. Must possess excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills. Two years experience as a site level study coordinator and phlebotomy skills required. Clinical Research Coordinator certification preferred.

Download Application (.pdf)

Email Résumé