In June 1976, this nation was celebrating its bicentennial, minimum wage was $2.30 an hour, “Afternoon Delight” was No. 1 on the pop charts—and a young woman with a college degree and six months of nursing experience came to work at North Lincoln Hospital.

Forty-two years later, Kathy Van Hess, RN, is ready to leave her life’s work to focus on family, her large circle of friends and herself. On the list: camping with husband, Lee, in their travel trailer; spending time with the grandkids; enjoying quilting; and keeping up with OSU sports. But, she won’t quickly forget the patients she cared for, and the colleagues who became friends.

“I made a lot of friends and I’ve lost a lot of great friends,” Van Hess said, more than once, reflecting on the years that have passed.

Her supervisor, Susan Richwine, and others in Ambulatory Infusion describe Kathy as caring, compassionate, empathetic and relatable—a wonderful nurse and friend to all.

With a retirement date of May 3, she wrapped up her nursing career in Ambulatory Infusion Services. Other areas worked at SNLH include medical-surgical, obstetrics clinic, emergency department and pre-op. In the 1980s, with three boys all under the age of 4 (that’s a story in itself!) she chose to work per diem in the staff nursing pool for a few years. Kathy also had been employed at Willamette Falls Medical Center in Portland and at Albany General Hospital before coming to Lincoln City.

Van Hess says she loved her 21 years working in recovery and pre-op the best: patient teaching, prepping IV’s, and visiting with patients, many of whom she already knew as friends in the community. She describes herself as a “Chatty Kathy” who knows no strangers. And, having raised three boys who were active in sports, scouting and Young Life in Lincoln City, she had plenty of opportunity to be part of the community.

Her transfer to Ambulatory Infusion in 2014 was a welcome challenge at the end of a long career.

“Oncology is such a changing and developing field. There’s so much to learn,” she commented. “And, there have been so many success stories in cancer treatments.”

Through the years, both the nursing profession and the community have changed greatly, she said. Increasing government regulation and the advent of computers in the 1980s have changed the way care is delivered, but the human touch is no less vital for healing and caring.

As for Lincoln City in 1976, “it was all logging and fishing, no tourism. Everything closed down at 9 p.m.,” she recalls.

Caring for someone who is nearing the end of life is not the same as caring for someone who will get better. To help clinical staff, family caregivers and others to understand the process, Samaritan Hospice Services is hosting an informative session quarterly this year.

At each session, participants will watch two videos that were created by Barbara Karnes, RN, a nationally known hospice care author and educator. One is “New Rules for End of Life Care” and the other is “Care for the Caregiver.” The videos will be followed by a question and answer forum led by Samaritan’s hospice professionals.

The next session will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City; and on Wednesday, May 2, at the Center for Health Education in Newport.

The DVDs are filled with ideas and guidance for the nurse, social worker, nurse’s aide, chaplain, physician, end of life doula, eleventh hour volunteer or caregiver. Anyone who is immersed in the responsibilities of supporting, educating and guiding a person and their family through the dying experience can find insight into making their work healthier.

As a former hospice nurse, Karnes was at the bedside of hundreds of people during the dying process. She was driven to explore the dynamics of dying when she noticed that each death followed a near identical script, that each person went through the stages of death in almost the same manner and that most families had the same questions. These realizations led Karnes to write books, speak and teach on the topic of end-of-life care. She brought her message to Lincoln County last year and through the video class sessions will be able to reach an even larger audience.

Coffee and water will be offered. Resource materials will be available for purchase at $2, cash only.

For information and to register: 541- 996-7328 or 541-574-1811.