Debora Britz
Hospice of the Valley has received a prestigious national certification for its long history of providing culturally sensitive care to Jewish families in our community. The National Institute for Jewish Hospice (NIJH) commended the not-for-profit agency for educating its 1,500 staff about Jewish culture and values, integrating Jewish medical ethics into care, and teaching traditional aspects of Jewish grief and mourning.
“The National Institute for Jewish Hospice is very happy to accredit Hospice of the Valley in Arizona and have them join our nationwide institution,” said Rabbi Yitzchok Young, NIJH education director. “We are proud that their dedicated care teams will join hundreds of hospices from coast to coast in providing specialized care for their terminally ill Jewish patients.”
This distinction formally recognizes all that the state’s leading provider of hospice care has been doing for decades to meet the unique needs of the Jewish community.
“We are so proud of our tailored care to best meet individual needs—from the rabbis we have on staff to our Shabbat Blessings program to the kosher meals we provide to our patients in our inpatient units,” said Rachel Behrendt, senior vice president of operations for Arizona’s original and largest hospice. “This certification adds to the confidence our Jewish community has that Hospice of the Valley is committed to enhancing their journey.”
For more information on NIJH accreditation, visit the website at www.nijh.org/training/nijh-accreditation. To learn more about Hospice of the Valley, please visit their website at www.hov.org.