Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services
Community Benefit Plan and Report 2022

Community Benefits – Addressing Needs in our Community

Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services (HCS) and the VNA at HCS submitted a Community Benefit Report to the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General, Charitable Trust Division annually, reviewing the activities that we provide that address concerns identified in our community. In our fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services and the VNA at HCS provided $581,485.00 in community benefits.  This includes free and reduced care and community programs that addressed the concerns that have been identified as part of the Community Needs Assessment.

Assessing the Needs

As part of this Community Benefits process under RSA 7:32-f, every five years, HCS conducts a community needs assessment to “identify and prioritize the needs that we as a health care charitable trust can address directly or in collaboration with others.” In 2023, HCS will again be conducting a review of community needs.  The previous needs assessments developed the following priorities that HCS an the VNA at HCS have been addressing:

  • Caregiver deficits; availability of home care services, particularly for low-income populations
  • Lack of caregiver supports and resources, both for families with children as well as vulnerable seniors
  • Food insecurity for the senior population
  • Fall prevention
  • Social isolation
  • Social isolation due to lack of transportation
  • Access – lack of transportation to medical appointments
  • Behavioral Health
  • Opioid/Substance Abuse

Caregiver Concerns: To address the issues faced by family caregivers, HCS has been offering educational programs with experts in legal matters, Alzheimer’s Disease, and topics such as fall prevention and home safety.  Presentations are provided at no charge and are open to the public.

The Castle Center Life Enrichment Day Program provides respite care for family caregivers, allowing them to opportunity to work or have some “me” time.

Home Care:Visiting nurse care is provided under physician orders.  A sliding fee scale is available for those who are not insured; we also accept Medicaid;  application is required to Medicaid for the sliding fee to continue.

Food Insecurity for the Senior Population: Meals on Wheels serves the older adults and individuals with disabilities who are primarily homebound and not able to prepare a nutritious meal for themselves.  114.682 meals were delivered to the home along with a daily safety check;  7,989 meals were provided to seniors through the “grab and go” option for those who were not homebound.

Fall Prevention: Addressing home safety and fall prevention is a priority with every home visit that our nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists make.  A Fall Prevention Guide is reviewed with each client not only at the time of admission, but as they progress through the plan of care.

Social Isolation due to lack of transportation: Transportation is a top need for seniors in particular in this area.  The Friendly Bus program is partnering with the Keene Senior Center and Cheshire Village at Home to provide rides to activities at the Senior Center.  In addition, the Friendly Bus is available for rides to other essentials such as medical appointments and grocery shopping.  Shopping shuttles were added for seniors in Keene, West Swanzey and Winchester.  The Friendly Bus provided 5,621 trips in 2022.

Access to healthcare: HCS offers several transportation programs to address the need for transportation to medical facilities.  The City Express stops at the Cheshire Medical Center seventeen times a day, Monday through Friday.  For older adults, door to door service is available on the Friendly Bus.  The Medical Express provides service weekly to the Veterans Administration Facilities in White River Junction, and to Dartmouth Hitchcock-Lebanon.

Opioid and substance abuse: Healthy Starts at HCS works with families experiencing the challenges of substance abuse, including referral to other resources and supports.

For more information about the Community Benefits Report, Needs Assessment process, or the charity care policy, contact Susan Ashworth, Director of Community Relations.