Amedisys Home Care Mission Statement

Agency Paper
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Amedisys Home Care and Hospice agency. This paper will give a brief background on the origins of modern hospice, as well as the founding of Amedisys. This paper will discuss the mission statement, policies, and multidisciplinary approach of Amedisys--as well as how these impact both employees and the company’s clients. Specifically, this paper will discuss the role of the social worker in hospice care, and how that manifests in the rural North Georgia region that Amedisys of Dalton serves.
The modern hospice movement is attributed to the pioneering work of Cicely Saunders, a British nurse and social worker (and later a physician). It was Ms. Saunders who (in the 1960s) first, “…used

p. 1). While this is a solid mission statement, it is the Amedisys hospice philosophy that this author finds most compelling. This states that, “the welfare of each individual patient is the principle...and thus the recognition of the worth of the patient and his or her family is paramount” (Amedisys Hospice, 2013, p. 5). The philosophy further states that Amedisys hospice is dedicated to, “equal respect for all, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, handicap, or socioeconomic status.” (Amedisys Hospice, 2013, p. 5). In these core values, and in Amedisys’ statement that all their staff (working professionals and volunteers) must strive for the highest level of competency and caring, Amedisys is reflecting the ethics and values of the social work profession. Indeed, the Amedisys orientation handbook often resembles a social work text. Roles of all individuals are clearly defined, and information regarding the importance of confidentiality (particularly HIPPA regulations), managing psychosocial well-being (e.g. understanding the stages of grief) and steps on how to build a “helping relationship” are outlined as the standards for all staff. Furthermore, Amedisys educates all staff on how to recognize and report suspected elder abuse and how to help patients manage their spiritual well-being.

Social and health service providers must have the means to carry out the company’s goals and ethos. Amedisys should be lauded for recognizing and striving for the core principles that mirror those of the NASW. However, service delivery is a moving target and corporate structure must support its providers (and adjust when necessary) in order to meet those ideals. Financial operating costs are a reality—but one that must be met without negatively impacting client care. It is not the purpose of this paper to state that Amedisys is not doing good work, only to express the dichotomy between idealistic intentions and the difficulties in realizing them to their fullest potential. Truly excellent ideals such as Amedisys strives for, should be praised---but more than that, they should be structurally supported. Otherwise, the Amedisys SPIRIT is simply a beautiful concept, not a beautiful