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Modoc Medical Center’s Tele-Diabetes Care Program
Located in the rural northeastern portion of California, Modoc Medical Center (MMC) has seen to the healthcare needs of its community since 1951. A 16-bed, critical access hospital providing family practice medicine, emergency services, and physical therapy, MMC serves the residents of Alturas and the surrounding area, covering about 4,500 square miles. MMC also operates a skilled nursing facility and provides other ancillary services. MMC’s mission is to elevate the provision of healthcare by creating a partnership with its patients, employees, businesses, and community. Embedded in this mission statement is the fundamental belief that success depends on the ability to provide quality healthcare services to patients and establish the processes and culture that puts patients at the center of the work. In a community with very limited resources in helping patients manage chronic diseases, MMC developed the Comprehensive Diabetes Care Program. Vesper Society supported MMC’s expansion of this program by providing group telehealth diabetes education classes that include a diabetic educator, a dietician, and a pharmacist. This comprehensive educational approach provides patients with the knowledge they need to manage their diabetes. Through this program, MMC and Vesper sought to improve the health and well-being of Modoc County residents and to give them the tools to continue helping... Read More
50th anniversary celebration
Vesper Society recently held its 50th anniversary dinner at Scott’s Restaurant in Jack London Square, Oakland. Long-time friends, current board members, colleagues, and project partners gathered on a lovely summer afternoon to exchange hugs, greet new friends, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Vesper supporters. Attendees spanned six generations – a result of Vesper’s long history and varied pursuits – and we were all energized by a deep sense of continuity from past to present. Highlights of the evening included Barbara Varenhorst reading statements from key individuals and supporters, and stories from Vesper’s founding 50 years ago from Bob Brorby whose first-hand knowledge was inspiring to hear. I had the pleasure of walking everyone through our Vesper family photo album spanning half a century of pictures and memories. Throughout the decades we have had the opportunity and privilege to partner with volunteers, community leaders, medical professionals, and lay persons who truly amaze us with their commitment to service. In whatever way you may have supported Vesper these past 50 years – Thank you! You have helped light the way for many people and communities. We invite you to view photographs from the celebration and we hope you enjoy the snapshots from this memorable evening. Miyoko Oshima,... Read More
The new vesper.org!
Welcome to our new website! We are delighted to share stories and information about our organization. This is a very special time for Vesper Society as we celebrate 50 years of helping overlooked communities to thrive and prosper. For the past two years the Vesper Society Board of Directors has been clarifying and focusing our work. We have deepened and broadened our understanding of community and are adapting our approach to the 21st century. Anything seemed possible in the 1960s when Vesper Society was founded. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Medicare Bill of 1965, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 shaped the world into which Vesper Society was born. That is the ethos we carry forward into our next 50 years; one where we identify emerging trends and are on the leading edge of change to build long-term solutions with communities. From creating one of the first hospices west of the Mississippi, to being one of the first hospital conversion foundations, we hope you enjoy stories about our past, present, and future. Miyoko Oshima,... Read More
Vesper Hospice and Home Care
Although the concept of hospice—providing refuge for the sick—is centuries old, the first hospice in the United States wasn’t established until 1974. Shortly after that, in 1979, Vesper Society opened one of the first hospices west of the Mississippi. Physician Dame Cicely Saunders opened the first modern hospice in 1967 in a residential suburb of London. These were groundbreaking years when Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote “On Death and Dying” in 1969 and testified in Congress in 1972 on the subject of death and dignity. Florence Wald, Dean of the Yale School of Nursing, learned all she could from Dame Cicely Saunders and, in Connecticut in 1974, started the first U.S. hospice with funding from the National Cancer Institute. After that, the second U.S. hospice was formed – this time in California – Hospice of Marin. Following this example of service to community, Vesper Hospice was created in 1979, becoming the second California hospice, and emphasized the dignity and integrity of terminally ill patients. Vesper Hospice encouraged patients to live the fullest life possible until the time of death. By treating symptoms, especially needless pain, patients were able to focus on the quality of life during their remaining days. Later in 1979, Vesper Home Care was created to help individuals receive quality health care in their homes. Recent surgery, debilitating illness or injury requires a period of regrouping to deal with a dramatic shift in one’s life, and home is often the best place to receive care and comfort. For the majority of Vesper Home Care elderly patients, being surrounded by family was important for recovery. Over the years, these programs helped tens of thousands of patients. By 1995, the health care structures and economic systems were changing throughout the country and, most rapidly so, in California, and. As a... Read More
Knox Dental Clinic, Jamaica
In the hills of rural Jamaica, Vesper Society helped start a dental clinic in the late 1970s on the Knox College campus. This is a story about vision, relationships, and service. Born in Glasgow, Rev. Lewis Davidson set sail for Jamaica in 1939. In 1941, he petitioned the Synod to start a new Presbyterian congregation and recommended that a new education center be built on Spalding Hill. In 1945, Rev. Davidson was appointed by the Foreign Mission Committee of the Church of Scotland to be head of this new education center, later named Knox College. His vision to create a cradle-to-grave education for people of all walks of life had begun. While lecturing at Knox College in 1975, Mark Gibbs, a Vesper Fellow, learned from Rev. Davidson that there was only one part-time dentist serving over 50,000 people in the region. Together with Vesper co-founder Bob Cummings and Vesper President George Spindt, they worked out an agreement in which Knox College would supply the land and building materials and Vesper would provide the design, construction supervision, and equipment for the dental clinic as well as a cottage for visiting dentists. In 1978, Vesper Society secured the gift of a dental laboratory with the assistance of a New York dentist. San Francisco Bay Area dentists donated an additional dental suite, and a generator was installed that enabled the clinic to remain in operation during the frequent electrical failures. It was that same year that staffing the Dental Clinic became possible through a cooperative effort of San Leandro dentists, Dental Schools of University of California and University of the Pacific, and the World Brotherhood Exchange of the Lutheran Council USA. At Rev. Davidson’s memorial in 1981, his Knox College co-founder Mr. David Bent paid tribute to him, stating that “in addition... Read More