SALINAS VALLEY — Central Coast VNA and Hospice has received a $50,000 grant from Hospice Giving Foundation to help support its Grief and Loss Program in Gonzales for South Monterey County residents.
Called New Beginnings, the free monthly support group is designed to help participants share, bond and commiserate.
The program — funded in part by Hospice Giving Foundation, and in partnership with the Taylor Farms Family Health and Wellness Center in Gonzales — offers a nonjudgmental, fully confidential and supportive environment to share feelings of pain and loss. Individual support is also available.
According to VNA, great efforts are made to reach out to the South Monterey County bilingual community, as well.
“The no-cost support group is offered to older adults who have experienced a significant loss of someone in their life,” stated the VNA in a news release. “The purpose is to learn about the grieving process and share experiences that help with the emotion of isolation.”
The group meets every third Thursday of the month from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Taylor Farms Family Health and Wellness Center, which is part of the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, located at 850 Fifth St. in Gonzales.
Hospice Giving Foundation, which has funded VNA for 36 years, has received more than $28 million in grants over the years for community-based support to promote personal choice, preparedness and the highest standards of compassionate, dignified end-of-life care for individuals and their loved ones.
Those interested in New Beginnings can contact VNA’s Latino Community Outreach Coordinator Elsa M. Malispina or Spiritual Care Coordinator Osa Massen at 831-241-3834.
For more information about Central Coast VNA and Hospice, visit ccvna.com or call 831-372-6668.
