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CONGRATULATIONS, EMILY EVANS!CONGRATULATIONS, DR. ALEX WAITE!CONGRATULATIONS, CHRISTY JOYCE!MOUNTAIN VALLEYHIGHLIGHTSQUARTERLY TEAM NEWSLETTERWINTER 2025Shares positive, powerful, andcontagious energy with their co-workers, patients, and familiesCHIEF ENERGY OFFICERAn individual whose actions orwork performance stands out as anexceptional reflection of our valuesSHINING STAREmployed for three or fewer yearsand has demonstrated exemplaryperformance in their roleRISING STARPAGE 1 Message

COMPLETED IN PROGRESS REMAININGINFORMATIONTECHNOLOGYACTION ITEMS: 12PEOPLEACTION ITEMS: 29COMMUNITYACTION ITEMS: 9COMPLIANCEACTION ITEMS: 17INPATIENT UNITSACTION ITEMS: 5GROWTHACTION ITEMS: 7SERVICE + QUALITYACTION ITEMS: 30EQUALITY, DIVERSITY,+ INCLUSIONACTION ITEMS: 15INNOVATIONACTION ITEMS: 16PEDIATRICS7 PTS SERVED + 5 IN CURRENT CENSUSSERIOUS ILLNESSON TRACKPROVIDERSON TRACKFINANCEON TRACKOPERATIONAL PLAN PROGRESSEach year, MountainValley’s leadership teamdevelops an operationalplan to direct progressThis page shows eachdepartment or project’sprogress through theaction items set in theoperational planQUESTIONS Reach out to your leaderto discuss your team’saction items!PAGE 2WINTER 2025

Autumn Leavesbake sale for WHV programVOLUNTEERSPAGE 3Holiday luncheonsand BINGO fun!CHECK OUT THE QUARTERLYVOLUNTEERNEWSLETTERIf you would like to provide cookies for your patients andtheir families, please reach out to the volunteer team. We look forward to sharing these sweet treats with you!The response was incredible, and we werethrilled to see so many volunteers come forwardthroughout December to help.We are excited toannounce the addition of asmall cookie oven and thearrival of Otis Spunkmeyercookies, which will befreshly baked at WHH forour patients and otheractivities. To make thisinitiative even more meaningful, we reached out tolocal students through a Facebook post offering theopportunity to bake cookies for service hours. WINTER 2025

LUMSDEN LEADERSHIP ACADEMYKenZee VestalCONGRATULATIONS to KenZee Vestal oncompleting the Northern Leadership Academy!KenZee’s graduation project, “Bridging theCommunication Gap in Homecare,” aims to enhancecommunication between Mountain Valley cliniciansand patients/families through the use of awhiteboard. This tool will also support our trainingguide by reinforcing the training received, whichaligns with our top five CAHPS improvementopportunities. We are excited to implement this project at Mountain Valley!EDUCATIONPAGE 4Assistant Director of Patient ServicesIn partnership with Surry YadkinWorks and local high schools,Mountain Valley is activelysupporting pre-apprenticeshipand apprenticeship opportunities.The typical path for our pre-apprentices includes starting inhigh school as a patient sitter,advancing to CNA, and thentransitioning to the apprenticeshipprogram after graduation.The apprenticeship program allowsstudents to progress from CNA to RN,earning either an ADN or BSN at thecollege of their choosing.A key benefit of this program is that,aside from the cost of supplies, tuition is covered by the Department of Labor, and students gain invaluable paid, hands-on experience at Mountain Valley.PRE-APRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WITH SURRY-YADKIN WORKSSUPPORTINGTEAM MEMBERADVANCEMENTRecently renamed in honor of Chris Lumsden,Northern’s retiring president and CEOWINTER 2025

To support our team members usingSuncoast, we are excited to announcea trial of a software called Tallio. ORGANIZATIONAL NEWSPAGE 5Mountain Valley team members, volunteers,local officials, and community membersgathered to celebrate the opening of ourYadkinville office on Hawthorne Drive. This newly renovated space will allow us tocontinue to serve our mission, ensuring thatcompassionate end-of-life care is accessibleand readily available to the residents ofYadkin County. We're grateful to the YadkinChamber, Yadkin County Commissioners,and the Yadkin County EconomicDevelopment Council for their support.YADKIN OFFICE RIBBON CUTTINGLast summer, Tracey informed us in an Every Moment Mattersupdate that our current EMR, Suncoast, has been acquired byAxxess. As a result, Mountain Valley began exploring new EMRs and has since reviewed three different systems. New signageWoltz Hospice HomeDespite knowing that no EMR is perfect, we continue to faceissues finding an EMR with connectivity and mobile options forour homecare team members. While discussions with otherpotential EMRs are ongoing, we remain committed to improvingthe user experience in Suncoast.EMR SYSTEM UPDATETallio is a speech-to-text template that has been shown to reduce documentation time withinSuncoast. Other hospices have reported that RN routine visit documentation time has been cut inhalf, and their nurses enjoy using Tallio. The trial will begin with a select group of team membersand will expand as we ensure the workflow supports our teams.WINTER 2025

1st in Used FurnitureThe Humble HareAWARDS AND RECOGNITIONPAGE 61st in Home HealthMountain Valleythreepeat!Best in Home Healthtied for 1st with Hugh Chatham HealthEach year, HEALTHCAREfirst (our CAHPS vendor) identifieshospices who meet Hospice Honors criteria. In order to receive thisaward, a hospice agency must have 20 responses out of 24 scoreabove national average. Questions are scored on a fiscal year(October - September). This past summer, we had the privilege ofcelebrating our Virginia teams for achieving Hospice Honors forOctober 2022 - September 2023.2024Finest Thrift + AntiquesThe Humble HareCONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MARTINSVILLE AND GALAX TEAMS!WINTER 2025

PHILANTHROPYPAGE 7COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONSERVING WESTERN VIRGINIA:$25,000 AWARDED TO MOUNTAINVALLEY FROM THE HOSPICE FUNDThis generous contribution will directlysupport hospice care for residents ofPatrick and Henry Counties and the Cityof Martinsville. This latest grant bringsthe Foundation’s lifetime contributionsto Mountain Valley to over $110,000through a six-year partnership,reflecting a shared commitment tocompassionate end-of-life care.GRANT AWARDSWEYERHAEUSER GRANT: ALZHEIMER'STRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERSBeing a first responder requires a great dealof empathy and specialized knowledge;however, first responders may not alwayshave the training, time, or resources to fullymeet the needs of individuals with dementia.To address this challenge, Weyerhaeuser,located in Elkin, NC, has generously provideda grant to offer dementia care trainingsessions led by our expert communityeducators, Kelley Tolbert-Holbrook andJessica Owens. Both Kelley and Jessica arecertified in Teepa Snow's dementia caremethods, with Jessica also holding PositiveApproach to Care (PAC) certification. If you know of a volunteer fire department,rescue squad, or other organization thatwould benefit from this valuable training,please reach out to Kelley.SYEMC BINGO NIGHTbenefiting Mountain ValleyBILL PHILLIPS MEMORIAL RIDEannual fundraiser for SECU Hospice Home$10,200raised$1,700raisedREAD MORE ABOUT THE TEEPA SNOW POSITIVEAPPROACH TO CARE ON THE NEXT PAGE!WINTER 2025

The medical community is constantly learning more about the varying forms of dementias. To enhance how we understand dementia and equipcaregivers with practical skills, we’ve embraced the"Teepa Snow Approach” with expert guidance from ourown Kelley Tolbert-Holbrook and Jessica Owens. Kelley and Jessica provide insights into Teepa Snow’sability-based progression model by guiding our team andcaregivers in recognizing the changes that occur in both the brain and one’s abilities throughout this journey. This approach fosters a deeper understanding and empowers caregivers to offer more effective, compassionate support.She willingly adjusted her schedule to accommodate these clinical rotations. Melinda excels ineducation, sharing her knowledge and competence with kindness. Thank you, Melinda, forhelping to educate future nurses and grow our Mountain Valley team!Over the years, Mountain Valley has welcomed nursingstudents to experience this unique, holistic side of nursing.We love when these students return to work with us! Thispast semester, Mountain Valley had the exciting opportunityto host a clinical group at the Woltz Hospice Home. CLINICAL ROTATIONS FOR NURSING STUDENTS ATTHE JOAN AND HOWARD WOLTZ HOSPICE HOMEWhen asked to be a clinical instructor, Melinda Cockerham didn’t hesitate to say yes!Audrey Cassell will be instated as aboard member for the Greater MountAiry Chamber of Commerce in JanuaryPAGE 8COMMUNITYDEMENTIA PROGRAM:TEEPA SNOW’S PACHAPPY RETIREMENT! of NorthernRegional Hospital for serving onour board of directors as they lookahead to retirement. We appreciatetheir dedicated service and wishthem well as they write their nextchapters in life.Celebrating Chris Lumsden andAndrea Hickling CONGRATULATIONS!NEWS + INVOLVEMENTWINTER 2025

To show our gratitude, we’re proudly providingweekly coffee and cookies to all veteransvisiting the Veteran’s Affairs clinic inKernersville. This small yet heartfelt gesture isour way of saying thank you to those haveserved. Every week, Veterans can stop by ourMountain Valley booth for a warm cup ofcoffee, enjoy a sweet treat, and connect withour team members Pattie Tilley & ChristyJoyce to learn more about our hospice andserious illness services. At Mountain Valley, we believe in serving those who have served us, and this weekly offering is just one of the many ways we're committed to supporting our Veteran community.PAGE 9HONORING AND SUPPORTINGOUR NATION’S HEROESSPONSORSHIPSAT MOUNTAIN VALLEY, WE DEEPLY VALUETHE SACRIFICES AND SERVICE OF OURNATION'S VETERANS.OUR 3RD YEARensuring that the Piedmont Triad enjoysnon-stop holiday music by sponsoring The Triad's Christmas StationSANTA'S HELPER SPONSORof the lights that shine bright on those thatenjoy the mega-light display in Galax, VAREPEAT SPONSOR OF THE MOUNT AIRY CHRISTMAS PARADEfeaturing The Humble Hare's deliverytruck and smiles from team members!WINTER 2025

EACH MONTH, MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEADERS REVIEW OURCURRENT CAHPS SCORES. National Average Top Performers MV Score70.2%87.3%68.1%83.2%97.2%82.3%80.1%91.9%78.4%73.7%88.3%75.0%80.1%95.6%82.8%mtnvalleyhospice.orgmountainvalleycaresmountainvalley_caresPAGE 10CAHPS REVIEWClinical leaders examine the scores for their respectiveareas and develops an action plan to address opportunitiesfor improvement; these plans are then discussed directlywith team members.Historically, Mountain Valley has had strong CAHPS scores,but over the past fiscal year, we’ve noticed a downwardtrend. We are confident that our team members provide the best experience forevery patient and family, every time; however, our scores do not currently reflectthis. Our leadership team is working on several processes to support teammembers in improving our scores, including phone system setup, timely nursesupport, and improving coverage to reduce gaps in nursing visits.It’s important to note that CAHPS scores do not solely rely on our clinical teamsto ensure success. It takes everyone in our organization to ensure we aredemonstrating our Be Attitudes of customer service with every interaction.CAHPS SURVEYS are sent to patients’ familiesafter a patient’s death regardingtheir perceptions of the caretheir loved ones receivedTOP FIVE AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTProvided trainingabout what todo if restless oragitatedHospice teamlistened carefullyabout problemswith careHospice teamdiscussed sideeffects of painmedicineProvided trainingabout sideeffects for painmedicineProvided trainingabout how tohelp withbreathingWINTER 2025