Our Unsung Heroes — Never just “doing a job”

Hospice operates by teamwork. This is absolutely essential. Unlike many hospital settings where different medical professionals may be isolated from each other, at the Hospice of the Fisher Home, the clinical staff stays in touch with the administrative staff, and the whole team meets regularly to exchange information and impressions. Every patient and their family and friends are considered. Everyone on the staff has input. 

Gracie, Ashlee, and Melissa at the Garden Party

Within the larger team are smaller teams: the nurses, the certified nurse’s aides (CNAs), the psychosocial staff. Another team that could be called the Unsung Heroes of the Hospice of the Fisher Home are not highly visible, but crucial to the running of the entire hospice. Located in an office at the south end of the building, a casual visitor might not notice this hive of activity. There, three young women, Melissa Bristol, Gracie Mieczkowski, and Ashlee Viens are keeping track of—well, everything.

Melissa, who is 31, describes herself as a “systems person.” Her title, director of operations, includes human resources – keeping track of hiring, benefits, contracting, and the budget process. For her, it’s about organization. Everything has a place. Even her two-year-old son Charlie has a place on Fridays when he comes to work with her. Melissa completed her master’s in healthcare administration in 2024.

Gracie pretty much grew up at the Fisher Home, where she started coming at age six with her grandmother, Norma Palazzo, who was the hospice’s spiritual counselor. Now 22, Gracie, who is good at math, oversees schedules, payroll and inventory. Gracie is working on her undergraduate degree in healthcare administration.

Ashlee, who has worked as a CNA, is now the CNA supervisor, the person who keeps the CNAs informed and working as a team. Ashlee is also responsible for ensuring doctor’s orders are signed and attached to the medical record along with many more systems that ensure compliance with state and federal regulations as well as quality assurance. At 32 and the mother of two children, she sees herself working here “forever.” Ashlee also takes responsibility for seeing to the maintenance of the building and grounds. And she is a “doer,” a Ms. Fixit, often taking action to keep things running smoothly. She can be seen organizing the overflow contents of the garage for distribution to other healthcare agencies or mustering a team to bring in new beds for the residents. 

All three express their devotion to the work of the hospice, describing the uniqueness of the care both in the residence and in people’s homes. While working as a waitress and bartender, Melissa volunteered at the Fisher Home’s annual golf tournament. She said it was so much fun and she enjoyed the camaraderie of the staff so much that she then volunteered in the clinical office, and soon became a valued fulltime employee.

All three were in attendance at a late summer gathering at volunteer Eva Fierst’s home. On the day before the event dressed in their work clothes, they came and set up tables, chairs, and decorations. Then the next day they showed up in summery dresses, welcoming guests, chatting with visitors, acting as hostesses and sources of information. 

The pandemic was a time, Gracie says, when the three of them became more connected with the patients, since for months the families and volunteers were excluded from the building. “We were acting on a deeper level,” she says. Yes, says Melissa, “Covid really bonded us. We were here on weekend rotations. We had to learn to trust each other, wearing many hats so that the next person was not coming back to chaos.” Says Ashlee, “We’re finally getting back to where we were before, with families coming in regularly.” And, she adds, “We’re not just coming in and just doing a job.” For the people who work in hospice, it is never just a job, and these three young women, unsung heroes, are a perfect example.

If you are in the Western Massachusetts area and have a loved one who requires hospice care, Hospice of the Fisher Home provides both in-residence or at-home (or wherever you reside) care through our community program.  Contact us to find out more. 

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