East Meets West: Hospice Leaders Discuss End-of-Life Care
SAN JOSE, Calif. – August 17, 2011 - Hospice of the Valley's president and chief executive officer Sally Adelus, earlier this summer, welcomed Buddhist Chaplains Master Hui Kun and Master Hi Hui, both of Taiwan, during their first trip to Northern California. Devoted to the spiritual needs of the dying and the terminally ill, Master Hui Kun created the first clinical Buddhist chaplaincy in Taiwan in 1999 and received the United Nations Outstanding Women in Buddhism award for her end of life and chaplaincy work in 2006. The hospice leaders, Sally Adelus, a 2007 National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Heart of Hospice award recipient and Master Kun and Master Hui, joined by Monique Kuo, MD, medical director of Hospice of the Valley, candidly discussed the provision of end-of-life care and shared their perspectives on palliative and hospice care in their respective countries.
Providing translations, Sandy Chen Stokes, founder and executive director of the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care and a member of Hospice of the Valley's Professional Advisory Board, facilitated the end-of-life care leader's meeting as they openly shared, exchanged and compared how their respective hospice and palliative care programs differed in Taiwan and in the United States.
"We were honored to receive both Master Kun and Master Hui and welcome them to Silicon Valley," said Sally Adelus, president and chief executive officer of Hospice of the Valley. "Master Kun expressed a keen interest in understanding our hospice and palliative care delivery model and how it differed with theirs, as their access to end-of-life care is primarily in a hospital setting, where ours is predominately in a home, skilled nursing and adult living facility settings."
Master Kun and Master Hui toured Hospice of the Valley and the Community Grief and Counseling Center where they were able to visit the children's Expressive Arts room and view artwork displayed throughout the hospice that were created by the adults and children served by the Center.
Spirit of ’45 WWII Weekend Honors Our Veterans
SAN JOSE, Calif. – August 17, 2011 - During the Spirit of '45 World War II Weekend celebration – honoring the greatest generation – August 13-14, 2011 in San Jose's History Park, Victoria Wild, director of volunteer services at Hospice of the Valley, San Jose, California is out flanked by (L-R) retired staff sergeant and Purple Heart recipient Denny Weisgerber who served during the Korean War; retired gunnery sergeant and Honorary Chair of Spirit of '45 Skip Adams who served in the South Pacific and was there when the US flag was raised on Iwo Jima; Tony Ornellas, impersonating President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and Chico Ramirez, impersonating General Douglas MacArthur.
Sally Adelus, President and
CEO of Hospice of the Valley,
San Jose, was named to the
National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization (NHPCO)
Board of Directors. Adelus will
represent the West Geographic
Area which includes Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. She will
serve a three-year term.
"Sally's previous experience on NHPCO's Governance
Committee and her leadership as Past Chair
of the California Hospice Foundation and the California
Hospice and Palliative Care Association will
serve her well," said J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD,
President and CEO of NHPCO. "Sally has a solid
foundation and keen insight into the trends and
changing dynamics facing our industry."
"I am truly honored to serve on the NHPCO
Board of Directors and represent our geographic
area membership," said Adelus. "I look forward to
representing the voting members and bringing my
expertise to the Board in support NHPCO's altruistic
mission. Ultimately, it's all about patients and
families and the preservation of quality palliative
and hospice care," affirmed Adelus.
10 Questions with...Ana Hays CHAPCA Region 5 Director Director, Marketing Communications/Public and Community Relations Hospice of the Valley San Jose, CA
How many years with this company, and in this
position?
I have been with Hospice of the Valley for
three years.
What drew you to hospice work?
Meeting my birthmother
on the day she died, and being with her in
the moment she passed instilled in me how important
it is to plan for ones death. When the opportunity
arose to work for Hospice of the Valley, I
jumped at the chance to work for the organization.
The marketing department was a newly created
department at the time and being offered the position
gave me the opportunity to shape its future as
well as to utilize the skills I have gained during my
career, which are: marketing, executive education
program development and fundraising. And as a
writer, I am blessed to be able to write patient and
family profiles to educate, inform, and inspire hope
as well as encourage readers to utilize hospice care
sooner than later.
What did you do before joining hospice?
Prior to working at Hospice of the Valley, I worked in academia
and led executive education programs and
fund development events at the University of Chicago
Booth School of Business as the associate director
of conferences and special events and at Stanford
Law School as the director of executive education.
For Hewlett-Packard Company and Agilent Technologies
I managed the internal employee volunteer
fundraising campaigns raising greater than $18
million in employee/corporate contributions for a
multitude of charities. Additionally, at the Chicago
History Museum, I managed the volunteer boards
and their fund-raising efforts.
Did you do other healthcare before joining hospice?
No.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Hobbies?
Activities?
In my spare time, I knit, write, hike and
belong to two book clubs. Additionally I enjoy, or
perhaps some might say I am obsessed with going to
the movies or curling up on my couch to watch the
latest episode of CSI, NCIS, Human Target, Chicago
Code, The Closer… The list is long. I love TV/movies
and paying close attention to character/story development.
Trust me; no chit-chat is allowed while I am
watching my show(s). Additionally I lead creative
writing workshops in Menlo Park; at WomenCare
a non-profit organization in Santa Cruz dedicated
to offering a safe haven for women who are making
the cancer journey; and for SPARK where I inspire
students to follow their dreams of becoming a published
writer.
Tell us about your family … Married? Children?
Pets?
I am in partnership with a wonderful man
named Ed and we live in Menlo Park with our cat
Phoebe. Ed brings two grown children to our relationship
where as I have chosen to remain childless.
How do you envision the role of CHAPCA as an Association?
I see CHAPCA as a wonderful resource
and advocate for those who are facing serious and
advanced illness as well as an educational organization
for those who provide care for patients and
families.
How do you envision your role as a member of the
Association?
In my role as a member of CHAPCA, I
bring my passion for educating people about end-of-life
care, and past experience that can assist in generating
fresh ideas and insights for the Association.
Sally Adelus and Roberta S. Hayashi honored at Silicon Valley’s 2009 Women of Influence Awards Celebration
On Wednesday, March 18th at The Fairmont, San Jose the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and El Camino Hospital honored 100 women who are making a difference in business, government or nonprofits in Silicon Valley.
Sally Adelus, CEO of Hospice of the Valley and Roberta S. Hayashi, Partner, Head of Employment Law Practice of Berliner Cohen and HOV Board of Director Member were among the 100 outstanding women honored for their excellence in exercising their power and influence within their industry and throughout the valley and serve as role models for future generations of leaders. Congratulations to Sally and Roberta!
Hospice of the Valley featured in Active Over 50 Click here to see the article.
Sally Adelus on End-of-Life Care Panel on KQED's Forum
Sally Adelus, Chief Executive Officer of Hospice of the Valley is one of four panel experts with Michael Krasny, radio host of KQED’s Forum. Forum assembled an impressive and distinguished panel program to present a broad discussion on end of life. The discussion encompassed the economic, ethical, educational challenges relative to end-of-life issues. Live airing date was on Monday, June 11, 2007 in the Institute for Health & Healing Library at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Click here to download an mp3 recording.
Hospice of the Valley features Children’s Grief Support Program in Grief is My Shadow
In Grief is My Shadow, we follow the transformative process of nine-year-old Jeff as he and his family deal with the physical, psychological and emotional ramifications of his brother’s death. We follow his own personal grief journey through the use of creative and expressive arts and what he has learned over the past three years, as Jeff so openly shares, “Grief is like my shadow, sometimes it’s big, sometimes it’s small, but it is always with you.”
Hospice of the Valley’s Children’s Grief Support Program video Grief is My Shadow was produced by Frieda C. Fox Foundation
Hospice of the Valley's president and chief executive officer Sally Adelus, earlier this summer, welcomed Buddhist Chaplains Master Hui Kun and Master Hi Hui, both of Taiwan, during their first trip to Northern California. Devoted to the spiritual needs of the dying and the terminally ill, Master Hui Kun created the first clinical Buddhist chaplaincy in Taiwan in 1999 and received the United Nations Outstanding Women in Buddhism award for her end of life and chaplaincy work in 2006. The hospice leaders, Sally Adelus, a 2007 National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Heart of Hospice award recipient and Master Kun and Master Hui, joined by Monique Kuo, MD, medical director of Hospice of the Valley, candidly discussed the provision of end-of-life care and shared their perspectives on palliative and hospice care in their respective countries. 
Sally Adelus, President and
CEO of Hospice of the Valley,
San Jose, was named to the
National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization (NHPCO)
Board of Directors. Adelus will
represent the West Geographic
Area which includes Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. She will
serve a three-year term.
10 Questions with...Ana Hays
