Kansas City Hospice and NorthCare Hospice are proud participants in We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program recognizes the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families, and the need to accompany and guide them through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.

Staff receive special training in providing emotional support to veterans who are seriously ill or nearing the end of life. It can be very helpful for veterans to have access to people who understand their experiences and there are volunteer opportunities for veterans to help other veterans.

On Veterans Day 2015, staff and volunteers who are veterans contacted veterans in home care and at the two hospice houses, presenting pins to honor their service.

Ora Reyes, winner of 2016 Missouri Veterans Service Award, with husband Anthony.

One of these veteran volunteers, Ora Reyes, received Lt. Governor Peter Kinder’s Veterans Service Award in March 2016. A 20-year Marine veteran, Ora is a worthy recipient who spends time weekly in patient homes and at our main office, and volunteers at Camp Erin and Camp Carousel annually. Kinder states “The same strong sense of duty and patriotism veterans showed in their service to their nation, invariably they now show to their communities after they returned home.”