Pathways Community Hospice’s Jewish Hospice Program
Hospice can be a topic many people would rather not think about, but can be a vital service for those individuals who have a terminal illness.

The hospice team provides works in partnership with the individual, their caregivers and personal physician to provide pain management, symptom relief and other services to enhance the quality of life. Pathways staff honors the mandate to cherish life and to live every day to the fullest.

Pathways Community Hospice has a specific Jewish Hospice program to meet the unique end of life needs of Jewish people. All the members of the staff (medical director, nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice aides, bereavement coordinators and volunteers) have been trained in the religious traditions, culture and religious holidays of the Jewish people and are sensitive to the beliefs of all branches of Judaism. For Jewish people who have been shaped by their heritage, there may be a strong need to continue living within a Jewish framework until the last moment of life.

Shaare Emeth member Sharon Weissman is the Jewish chaplain at Pathways. She will assess the important traditions in each family to determine their individual needs and will collaborate with the person’s rabbi to coordinate spiritual care. Each person’s plan of care is customized to his or her specific needs and respect for the individual is the staff’s guide.
 
Pathways Community Hospice is the only hospice in St. Louis certified through the National Institute for Jewish Hospice. A Jewish Hospice Advisory Committee, comprised of community rabbis, (including Rabbi Bennett), other Jewish professionals and a consumer, advises Pathways on how to continually improve their Jewish program.

For more information, call Pathways at 636.733.7399.


Emergency and Crisis Organizations.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESPONSE
BHR, the community’s behavioral health safety net, ensures compassionate and immediate, barrier free access to crisis behavioral health services. BHR will answer your call whenever you need us-24 hours a day, 7 days a week, help you or someone you know through an emotional crisis, provide easy emergency access to mental health services, assist with hospitalization if needed and give you the skills necessary to connect with community resources. A professionally trained mental health professional will answer your call. If you and the counselor feel that in person services are needed, BHR’s mobile crisis workers will be sent to meet you wherever you desire. BHR can also arrange for a next day appointment at an area mental health center or a short stay in a crisis stabilization bed. Shaare Emeth member Lesley Levin is the President/CEO of BHR. In St. Louis call 314.469.6644. From anywhere in Missouri call 1.800.811.4760.

211
St. Louis United Way sponsors a toll-free number that connects people with available community resources and volunteer opportunities. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The range of community resources includes information for basic human needs, physical and mental health resources, such as Medicare information, work initiatives, support for seniors and those with disabilities, and support for youth and families. For further information, just dial 211.


Shalvah Program at Neve Shalom Congregation
Shalvah means Serenity in Hebrew. According to Rabbi James Goodman, Shalvah is dedicated to teaching the strategies to help individuals, their families, friends, and communities, work themselves free of the problems associated with addiction. Shalvah teaches an integrated approach, combining spiritual and psychological resources, acting as a bridge between the recovery model and the daily spiritual remedies of Judaism and other traditions.

The purpose of the meetings is to connect traditional spiritual resources with the Twelve Step model. It was organized in 1998 as a project of Neve Shalom and is convened by Rabbi James Stone Goodman every Thursday evening from 7- 8p.m. at the Congregation. The congregation meets in the Rainbow Village, 1240 Dautel, 63146, one mile west of Lindbergh (off Olive; turn north at Walgreens). Park in the back and find the painted door down the walkway toward the wooded area.

Shalvah uses only first names and confidentiality is carefully respected. For more information, call Rabbi Goodman at 314.863.4366 or visit www.neveshalom.org

Jewish Prison Outreach
Sometimes addiction and other legal issues result in incarceration. The Jewish Prison Outreach program was organized to support inmates and their families. It is supported by the St. Louis Rabbinic Association, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Neve Shalom, B’nai Amoona and other interested volunteers. For more information email jpo.stlouis@yahoo.com or call 314.727.1308.

Jewish Children and Family Services
For more than 137 years, Jewish Family & Children's Service (JF&CS) has provided support and expert resources to individuals and families dealing with serious physical and emotional difficulties, as well as assistance to meet the challenges of everyday living. Programs and professional therapy focus on marital difficulties, individual personality disorders, family relationships, elder care planning, the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, child abuse prevention, homemaker care for older adults, community chaplaincy outreach and psychological assessments. A recent addition is the Lifeline Fund, in collaboration with Jewish Federation, for those needing assistance with food and financial needs. For more information, please call 314.993.1000.

MERS/Goodwill
Every year, MERS/Goodwill prepares thousands of people to enter the workforce through its employment and rehabilitation services. Going above and beyond basic career training, these services are designed to improve the self-esteem, interpersonal skills and confidence of the trainees, thereby increasing their likelihood of success. Trainees receive the benefits of a unique, multi-dimensional program. The program includes comprehensive vocational evaluation services to set appropriate career goals, employee development services to develop new skill and work behavior, and community employment services to place program participants in suitable jobs. Funds for these programs are provided, in part, through the 40 Goodwill Stores which provide quality bargain shopping for the entire community. The stores accept donations of clothing, household goods, small electronics, furniture, books, CD's and cars. For information regarding the donations, stores or programming, please call Jolie Boeger at 314.241.3464.

JAMI-STL, Jewish Attention to Mental Illness, St. Louis

A spiritual family support group has begun meeting at the JCC Staenberg Complex on the third Tuesday of every month, led by Rabbi Goodman. The group is an opportunity for family members to talk about various issues they are dealing with regarding mental illness in their families.  For information, call 314-863-4366.  Achraiyut is a support group for individuals living with mental illness who have taken the first step toward responsibility by accepting their illness and receiving treatment to achieve the greatest possible state of wellness.  The group will meet the first Monday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m at Neve Shalom Congregation.  The group is facilitated by Ellen Fein Rosenbaum.  For information, call 314-994-1542.