CareFirstNY

11/28/2025

Rural families in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties rely on CareFirstNY as their only hospice provider, ensuring compassionate end-of-life care no matter where they live.
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One family in Wayland, NY, shared their gratitude for the love, care, and bereavement support our team provided 💛

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Federal Medicaid cuts are making this care harder—but your year-end gift helps keep nurses on the road, supplies available, and families supported when they need it most: tinyurl.com/25YEFriends

11/27/2025

We know the holidays can be especially tender when there’s an empty chair at the table, and when you’re feeling the absence of a loved one. Today, we honor your grief and stand with you.
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CareFirstNY is here to support you, and we’re wishing everyone moments of warmth and gentleness this Thanksgiving.

11/26/2025

In this season of thanks, we are grateful for community partners like the Watkins Glen Public Library for joining us in supporting children through grief.
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Last week, in recognition of Children’s Grief Awareness Day, we hosted Good Grief Storytime, reading The Dragonfly Story by Kelly Owen and creating special dragonfly paintings in honor of loved ones.

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We have a limited number of FREE copies of The Dragonfly Story available for families, teachers, or librarians who want to help children better understand grief and loss.
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Email GriefSupport@CareFirstNY.org to request your copy—first come, first served.

11/26/2025

We are honored to share that CareFirstNY has been awarded the Twin Tiers Christian Holistic Living Grant! This $2,000 funding, generously designated by the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, will help us provide essential spiritual care supplies for our hospice patients.
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With these funds, our spiritual care counselors will have access to items like large print Bibles, devotional books, end of life planners, prayer guides, and other meaningful resources to support patients and their families during end-of-life care.

A heartfelt thank you to the Twin Tiers Christian Service Fund and the Community Foundation for supporting our mission to bring comfort, peace, and spiritual guidance to those we serve 💛

11/25/2025

Our leadership team recently participated in the 2025 HPCANYS Conference session “Coping with the Unexpected: Navigating the Loss of a Leader,” reflecting on the unexpected passing of our former CEO, Tali Sutton.

The discussion explored how our team—led by current CEO Phoebe Reynolds—navigated the challenges of honoring Tali’s legacy while shaping the future of CareFirstNY. From balancing unfinished initiatives to supporting one another through individual experiences of grief, our leadership team shared lessons on resilience, teamwork, and making difficult but necessary decisions for the good of the organization and the communities we serve.

As an organization that helps our community through loss, it was both humbling and transformative to experience this journey ourselves—reminding us that care and compassion are at the heart of all we do 💙💛🧡

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Pictured (left to right): CFNY team members, Krissy Spaulding, Elizabeth Radford, Sybil Aumick, Phoebe Reynolds, and Carly Nichols, with Hpcanys Albany NY CEO Jeanne Chirico.

11/24/2025

Join our friends at Bampa's House in Corning for their Memories in Lights: A Luminaria Celebration and Wreath & Cookie Sale on Thursday, December 4!

Enjoy the glow of luminarias in honor of loved ones, complimentary refreshments, and shop festive wreaths, cookies, holiday gnomes, and decorative bows ✨🎄🍪

We invite our community to come together for a beautiful evening of remembrance, love, and celebration. Purchase a luminary in memory, in honor, or in celebration of someone special.

As the luminaries glow, Bampa’s House will be lit up to celebrate the memories of loved ones and remind us that their light still shines.

Inside, join us for some holiday refreshments and purchase cookies, wreaths, and holiday itemsto help you welcome the season. Purchase a luminary with the QR Code or visit www.bampashouse.org/events

11/24/2025

Thinking about your wishes for the future can feel intimidating, but it can also be empowering.
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Reflecting on these questions aren’t meant to create fear—they’re invitations to honor your values and create peace for yourself and your loved ones.

💭 Have you taken a moment to think about your wishes recently? What’s one small step you could take this week toward clarity?

11/23/2025

In our rural region, hospice care depends on strong community support, and recent federal cuts make that need even more urgent.
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Learn what this means for local families:
https://carefirstny.org/the-care-collective-blog/f/carefirstny-highlights-growing-strain-on-rural-hospice-care

PAINTED POST, NY – As the year comes to a close, CareFirstNY is raising awareness about the growing pressure on rural hospice services caused by federal Medicaid funding cuts.

11/22/2025

Today is International Survivors of Su***de Loss Day, also known as 💙

For survivors of su***de loss, there is a unique and powerful comfort that may be gained by being in the presence of others who have experienced this complex type of loss. 🫂✨

Today, in-person events are taking place around the world, bringing su***de loss survivors together to gain understanding and support each other’s healing journeys. Some people attend every year as a way of honoring their loved one, checking in with themselves, and healthily recognizing the way their feelings evolve over time.

Join us today at 7pm EST for Live or find an event near you at afsp.org/survivorday

11/22/2025

CareFirstNY's Marketing & Communications Specialist, Kate Fuller, recently joined Renata Stiehl on WENY TV News at noon to talk about National Hospice Month and what hospice care truly means for patients and families in the Southern Tier.

We’re proud to help educate our community and shine a light on the compassionate support hospice provides 💙💛🧡

Watch the full segment here:
https://www.weny.com/carefirstny-talks-services-programs-during-national-hospice-month/video_96c2c494-8ecf-5eae-bdde-72a46ed7fa3c.html

Kate Fuller with CareFirstNY talks about the importance of hospice and end of life care, for both the patient and their families, before one's passing and beyond through various programs

11/21/2025

🎥 Hear from CareFirstNY's Grief Support Coordinator, Ric Miller, LMSW, CGP

In this brief video, Ric shares what to expect at tomorrow's International Survivors of Su***de Loss Day event—a supportive and healing space for anyone who has lost a loved one to su***de.

Saturday, Nov. 22 | 10 AM to 2 PM | FREE to attend

If you or someone you know could benefit from a day of connection, remembrance, and support, we would be honored to have you with us 💛

👉 Learn more or register here: https://carefirstny-bloom.kindful.com/e/2025-isosl-day

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Questions?
Contact Ric Miller: GriefSupport@carefirstny.org | (607) 962-3100

11/20/2025

On Children’s Grief Awareness Day, we’re grateful to the Corning Incorporated Research & Development team, who recently hosted a supply drive and packing event to create grief packs for kids in the Southern Tier 💙💛🧡

They gathered items like tissues, journals, coloring books, stickers, and crayons—all tools to help grieving children as they navigate loss and big emotions.

A heartfelt thank you to the Corning R&D team for helping bring this vital resource to our community!