It takes a village to reach for the stars in hospice and home health care. Our village continues to work together to shine brightly and bring warmth and peace to individuals and families.
Strategic Plan Update
We chart our course with a strategic plan that began in 2024 and will continue to be implemented over the next few years. The Board of Directors worked with OLP leadership to identify eight primary strategic goals. The objectives for reaching these goals were determined with feedback from constituent groups, which included 55 employees across our organization. OLP President & CEO Jeff Thorne says, “These Strategic Imperative Teams (SIT’s) are critical to the planning process. They provide a lot of valuable insights to our decisions because they work closely with patients and families.”
Jeff is proud to say, “They all came together to focus on our priorities, and as a result, reports reveal some key metrics and accomplishments for OLP in 2024:
- We hit an all-time high, serving 1,003 patients across our continuum of care.
- Our bereavement team provided services to over 600 families and an even more significant number of individuals.
- The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) conducted a confidential OLP employee survey in November, resulting in reports based on national benchmarks. OLP showed notable growth in many areas from the last survey in 2022.
- 73% of OLP staff took the survey. Overall engagement of our staff ranked at 75%, exceeding the national average.
- 94% of staff reported they are proud to work at OLP (Exceeds the national average)
- 81% of staff said they would recommend working at OLP to others. (Exceeds the national average).
Patient satisfaction continues to be high, and our number of referrals continues to grow!
Goin’ to the Chapel
Our chapel renovation is complete except for the skylights, which will be installed in the spring. The upgrades are 100% funded by donors, and we are grateful for their generosity. You will see new lighting, carpet, reoriented pews facing the altar, a new sound system, and new cameras to transmit services and events to patient rooms. The chapel reflects our Catholic history but is open to all for quiet meditation and prayer, along with Sunday Mass at 10:30.
Here are some other highlights of 2024:
- We hosted learning sessions with panel discussions on clinical and ethical issues in multicultural end-of-life care. Attendance was high, and many said the sessions were valuable. We will host more sessions in 2025 for staff and others who wish to join us.
- An internal committee is working to define more deeply how our community and residential programs collaborate so that we can grow in support of each other.
- We formed new partnerships with churches and universities that want to support and learn from our hospice care. More conversations are planned for this year.
- OLP continued to grow as a leader in hospice care.
New in 2025:
- Three employee teams will present to their peers this spring at the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care (MNHPC) Conference.
- A new electronic medical records system is being evaluated and will would give staff better access to patient information, helping with continuity of care.
- One of our home health care nurses is getting certified in wound care with a scholarship from OLP.
- We’re creating a multicultural, interfaith prayer and meditation room for family members of those in our care. It will be centrally located near patient rooms and contain items used for religious expression, including prayer rugs.
- We will continue to do what we do best while constantly analyzing, improving, and enhancing our services and systems where it makes sense.
Thank you to our Board of Directors, leadership, staff, constituent groups, donors, families, and friends of OLP who helped make 2024 a year of growth, accomplishment, and commitment to our mission, vision, and values:
Our Mission: Called by God, Our Lady of Peace gently comforts and cares for those most in need near the end of their lives, wherever they call home, regardless of means.
Our Vision: Rooted in our Faith-based tradition, we aspire to provide peace to every person by respecting, welcoming, and caring for all.
Our values: Peace, Presence, Inclusivity, Empathy, Stewardship