Supporting Patients Through Compassion and Community
When news of the government shutdown and potential delays to food assistance programs reached the White Mountains community in northern Arizona, Compassus Hospice Registered Nurse Case Manager Dawn MacIver of Lakeside, AZ, didn’t hesitate to take action. Understanding how many of our patients rely on these essential programs, Dawn stepped up to make sure no one in her community would go hungry.
Over the course of a weekend, Dawn personally assembled 40 ready-made meal kits for patients and families in need—and plans to prepare 40 more in the coming days. To sustain her efforts, she even launched a GoFundMe campaign to continue providing support during this challenging time.
Hospice Area Executive of Clinical Operations for the White Mountains and Payson areas, Kammy Heuett, helped spread the word across their team, encouraging donations and inviting nurses to keep meal kits in their cars for patients who may need them most.
“These are programs that many of our patients rely upon,” Kammy shared. “Dawn graciously spent her weekend putting these [kits] together, and we would love your support whether through donations or by helping ensure anyone who needs food receives it.”
Dawn’s actions embody what it truly means to be a Champion of Care—recognizing a need and responding with compassion, initiative and heart. Her leadership reminds us that the Compassus mission to advance well-being and honor quality of life extends far beyond clinical care—it’s about serving the whole person and uplifting our communities, one meal at a time.
At Compassus, our value is in the compassion and expertise of our teams, which act as an extension of patients’ existing care teams. We believe everyone who interacts with us should experience our individualized Care for who I am philosophy, from the care services we provide to patients and families to how we interact with our partners and one another.
