The Tampa Bay Lightning named Chapters Health System a recipient of the Lightning Community Hero Award. The Lightning Community Heroes Program, the signature philanthropic initiative of the Lightning Foundation, recognizes grassroots heroes who make positive impacts on their community through good works and volunteerism. The Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, along with his wife, Penny, launched the Lightning Community Hero program in 2011.

The award includes a $50,000 dollar grant to support the Chapters Health Valor Program, featured in this USA Today article. The program provides unique support and services to veterans and first responders. Those services include, but are not limited to:

• Pinning ceremonies: Honor the service and sacrifices made by veterans and first responders, who receive a certificate, pin and handmade blanket or quilt.
• Valor Cafés: Following COVID-19 social distancing safe practices, Valor Cafés for peer-to-peer activities are conducted whereby veterans and first responders find comradery to share stories and similar experiences.
• Volunteer visits: Patients are paired with volunteers who are either veterans or first responders.
• Community outreach and awareness: This approach allows for a more intimate understanding of the unique needs of veterans and first responders.
• Honor walks: Conducted by hospice team members to show respect to family members as their deceased loved one leaves the hospice houses.
• Grief counseling services: Licensed and professional grief counselors are available based on the need of the patient or family and can address a wide range of mental or emotional needs.
• Honor Flights: The Chapters Health Valor Program is heavily vested in the Honor Flight Network. Honor flights are provided to military veterans in gratitude of their service and sacrifices. Flights to Washington D.C. are coordinated on behalf of veterans at no cost. Veterans who are unable to participate in person are provided with virtual Honor Flights. You can learn more about the Honor Flight network at https://www.honorflight.org/.

“The Chapter’s Health Valor Program and all the veterans and first responders we serve, are grateful for the generosity of the Lightning Foundation,” said Maxine Reyes, Valor Program services manager for the Chapters Health Foundation. “This award celebrates our synergistic relationship as we improve the lives of the Greater Tampa Bay Area residents. Our combined efforts further enable our ability to provide a meaningful impact on the welfare of our nation’s veterans and first responders.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning will recognize Chapters Health System with a video tribute during their regular season game against the Vegas Golden Knights on January 29, 2022.

About Chapters Health System

As a progressive leader and premier health system, Chapters Health System is dedicated to delivering innovative home health, palliative and hospice care along with durable medical equipment and pharmacy services. Since 1983 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization, Chapters Health has provided choices, education and guidance through its managed affiliates: Chapters Health Home Care, Chapters Health Palliative Care, Chapters Health Hospice, Good Shepherd Hospice, Hospice of Okeechobee, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, located in Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Martin, Okeechobee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and St. Lucie counties. All offerings are provided in order to improve the patient/family experience well in advance of end-of-life needs. In 2020, Chapters Health was certified for the third consecutive year as a great workplace in the Aging Services category by the independent analysts at the Great Place to Work^® Institute. To learn more, visit www.chaptershealth.org, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Chapters Health Foundation

Chapters Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization committed to supporting Chapters Health System, a progressive leader in home health, palliative care, hospice, and grief support. Chapters Health Foundation provides more than $7.4 million annually to help offset the accumulated costs of unfunded and underfunded programming including but not limited to charity care, helping to meet the needs of patients and families who cannot afford hospice services. Chapters Health Foundation also provides $1.3 million in funding for the provision of grief support across Chapters Health and in 2020, provided more than $1 million to assist with underfunded pediatric and adult palliative care services.

###

To see this release in a PDF, Click here.

Contact:

Austin Mudd

Media Relations Specialist

Chapters Health System

[email protected]

P: 813-871-8327; C: 813-310-4690