Hospice of the Valleys Logo
951-200-7800 / 877-889-0325
Support Us
  • Hospice Care
    • Introduction to Hospice
    • Paying for Hospice
    • Types of Care
  • About Us
    • History & Mission
    • Awards and Accreditations
      • We Honor Veterans
      • CHAP
    • Service Areas
    • Meet The Team
    • Testimonials & Videos
    • Community Supporters
    • Newsletters
    • Careers
  • Patients & Families
    • Coronavirus/COVID-19
    • Grief Support
    • FAQs
    • Resource Library
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • End of Life Option Act
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Estate Planning
    • Vehicle Donation
  • News
  • Contact
Hospice Honors
Press Enterprise Top Work Places 2014- 2024
We Honor Veterans
CHAP

February 2025

Request Information
Make a Donation
Volunteer Opportunities
Hospice of the Valleys is a Top Workplace! For the 11th year in a row, Hospice of the Valleys has once again been recognized as a Press Enterprise Inland Empire Top Workplace for 2024! Hospice of the Valleys is the only Hospice to achieve this distinction, and the only company, of any type or size, in the Inland Empire who has been recognized as a Top Workplace for 11 consecutive years!
Celebrate the Heart of Volunteering Become a Hospice Volunteer Hospice is about family and community... And volunteers bring heart to hospice. Our team always had the need for volunteers in patient support, music, veteran to veteran support, fundraising, administrative support and more. Hold a Hand-Give a Hug-Touch a Heart. Becoming a hospice volunteers is a meaningful and rewarding experience. You can make a difference! *Seeking bi-lingual volunteers for patient support and music* Hospice of the Valleys: Canyon Lake, Fallbrook, Hemet, Homeland, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Nuevo, Perris, Quail Valley, Romoland, San Jacinto, Sun City, Temecula, Wildomar, Winchester Please contact Chrisy Lawless, Volunteer Manager 951-200-7800 or CLawless@hovsc.org for more information. You may also refer to our website page HospiceoftheValleys.org for new training updates.
Seeking Fundraising Volunteers - You can make a difference - Outgoing and Self-Motivated - Detail-Oriented and Good organization skills - Ability to Interact Positively with Guests and a Team. If this sounds like you, we'd love to talk with you about how you can help! Please contact: Chrisy Lawless 951-200-7800 | CLawless@Hovsc.org
Please remember Hospice of the Valleys in your trust or will. And, help us now with your kind donation. DONATE to Hospice of the Valleys Hospice of the Valleys is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Hospice of the Valleys complies with applicable Federal and civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Atención: si habla espanol, Tiene a su disposicion servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingufstica. Llame al 1-951-200-7800 (TDD: 711). 注意:如果您使用繁體中文, 您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1-951-200-7800 (TDD: 711).
Happy Valentine's Day Give the gift of the heart. Donate to Hospice of the Valleys.
FROM HERE TO THERE... Join us for our monthly workshop, From Here to There, which covers topics focused on navigating the later years of life. January: Meet Your Hospice Team Let us introduce you to the interdisciplinary approach of hospice care. Meet our team that consists of a board-certified hospice and palliative care doctor, RN, social worker, spiritual care and home health aide. We'll answer your questions and share how we help. Friday, January 31st | 9:00-10:00 Hospice of the Valleys 25240 Hancock Avenue, Ste 120 Murrieta, CA 92562 Space is limited, Please RSVP by 1/26 to 951-200-7800 Co-Sponsored by: Visiting Angels.
Say What? Mike Patton Bereavement Counselor/Spiritual Care "So how are you holding up, my friend?" After a significant pause he answered, "It's hard." This was verbatim, from a conversation I recently had with our old friend, Chaplain Bill. No matter how much experience you have had with grief and loss, there is no getting around the fact that the death of a loved one is hard. The anniversary of Mary's death is March 2. You will never hear me say to Bill or to anyone, "I know how you feel." I would be lying! I am not Bill. I only know how he feels when he tells me how he feels. There is a big difference between clarifying his feelings using the words he has spoken to describe his grief and the presumptuous statement, "I know how you feel." "What's the big deal, Mike?" you may be asking. If you have said to someone who is grieving, "I know how you feel," you already know the answer if you paid attention to the facial and body expressions of the bereaved. They do not care too much for the presumption. Because I have been keeping company with the bereaved for the past 20 years, I can tell you confidently that it is a big negative deal to them! So what should I say to the bereaved? It depends on your willingness to listen. If you have the time and compassion to listen and absorb some of their pain, ask, "How are you doing today?" If you do not have the time or capacity, please do not ask. You can be kind and acknowledge their grief with condolences or a smile and gentle eye contact, but your self-awareness can make a big difference in your intended act of kindness. All this to say, be kind to the bereaved and be aware of your own sense of capacity for holding their pain. Grieving people need to share their pain. You are doing a great service to your grieving friend when you are able to sit with, listen to, and allow them to share their pain. Here's the good news, with a little thoughtful preparation you can gently hold safe space for a grieving person to honestly share their grief. It is such an honor to serve the bereaved!
VOLUNTEER CORNER We Love our hospice volunteers. Thank you for making the world a better place. Happy Valentine's Day. New Volunteers MJ, Melissa, Victoria, Kristel and Elizabeth welcome to our team!
Happy Healthy Hearts Leslee B. Cochrane, MD Executive Medical Director February is best known for Valentine's Day and President's Day; but February is also National Heart Awareness Month. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US accounting for over 930,000 deaths in 2024. There is a strong connection between dietary fats including cholesterol and triglycerides and heart health; but not all fats are created equal. Many people mistakenly believe that all cholesterol is "bad" for you; but in fact, your body needs a cholesterol in order to function. Cholesterol is an essential ingredient for the production of hormones, Vitamin D and other substances. Meats, dairy products and eggs contain cholesterol; but diet accounts for only 25% of your total cholesterol with the remainder being synthesized by the liver and elsewhere within your body. Triglycerides are another form of dietary fat found in oils, butter and animal fat but not all fat is bad for you. Some fats known as MUFA's (Mono-Unsaturated Fatty Acids) found in foods such as olive oil, avocados and nuts are considered heart healthy whereas saturated fats such as butter, lard and cheese are known to contribute to heart disease. To determine your risk of heart disease, you need to assess the lipid levels with a blood test. A blood test know as a lipid profile will help your doctor determine if you are at increased risk of heart disease by measuring your levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Below are brief descriptions regarding the two major types of cholesterol and how they impact your heart heath. HDL (Good) Cholesterol HDL cholesterol is considered good for you because it has the ability to help the body "clean up" the fatty deposits within your arteries and remove it from the artery walls. High levels of HDL can decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke and low levels of HDL are a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. LDL (Bad) Cholesterol LDL is considered bad for you because high levels of LDL in the blood can combine with other substances to form a thick, hard deposit called plaque. Plaque builds up over time and causes a narrowing and hardening of the arteries. When the arteries become narrow, a small clot can form and lead to total blockage of the artery resulting in a stroke (brain) or a heart attack (heart). Because LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, you should see your doctor and have a lipid panel checked to determine if you are at increased risk. For more information regarding how to have a healthy heart, check out the American Heart Association at http://www.heart.org. Having a healthy heart does not mean that you need to miss out on celebrating Valentine's Day! Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids and essential nutrients including iron, magnesium and copper and has been found to promote heart health and cognitive health. My prescription for you to enjoy a happy health heart is to treat yourself to 1-2 ounces of delicious dark chocolate 2-3 times per week. It will do your heart good!
Sign Up For Our Monthly Newsletter

View our past newsletters
  • Top Work Places 2014-2021 Award
  • Hospice Honors Elite
  • We Honor Veterans
  • Community Health Accreditation Partner Seal
  • Hospice of the Valleys IEHP Quality Hospice Network
  • Hospice Care
  • Introduction to Hospice
  • Choosing Hospice
  • Paying for Hospice
  • Hospice Of The Valleys Service Areas
  • About Us
  • History & Mission
  • Types of Care
  • Meet The Team
  • Testimonials & Videos
  • Calendar
  • Community Supporters
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Patients & Families
  • Grief Support
  • FAQs
  • Resource Library
  • Notice of Privacy Practices
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination
  • End of Life Option Act
  • Ways To Give
  • Donate Now
  • Planned Gifts
  • Vehicle Donation
  • Volunteer
© Copyright 2025, Hospice of the Valleys. All rights reserved.
We serve Southwest Riverside and Fallbrook communities.
Website by Stebbins Media