A Sad Day!
The day the Oswego County Hospice closes will be a very SAD DAY!
Almost eight years ago there was talk of closing the Hospice program. The issue was the lack of clients. Myself and then Legislator Delconte made suggestions to push for a greater presence within the service agencies offering our Hospice program.
Within four years Oswego County was ranked in the top 5% of Hospice programs of the entire country. That’s right the program that was very close to being closed four years earlier was now one of the top 5% of the Country not the region or the State but the Country.
This was accomplished through the watchful eye and guidance of Vera Dunsmoor along with some of the best nurses. The dedication of a Hospice nurse is matched by none other. It takes a very special person to be a Hospice nurse. Their skills and compassion can’t be match.
All nurses are a special breed of the medical field. I know my wife is one and my late sister was one also.
Now almost eight years later again our Oswego County Hospice is on the doorstep of closure. Again our Hospice program is ranked in the top 5% of the Country.
Why you ask is our program closing.
It’s not a lack of clients it is a lack of nurses. The reason is salary. Hospice nurses in the private sector make almost $20.00 more an hour than what the county is paying.
I am writing this letter to bring to light the fact that one of the most highly ranked services that Oswego County offers may close.
There is still time to save the program.
Legislator Frank Castiglia Jr.
