A KVNF Family Story
KVNF listeners know Cynthia Hines as the voice behind Blues and Other Colors, the beloved Tuesday afternoon blues show she has hosted for more than 25 years alongside her late husband Todd. Todd passed away in April of 2025. In this episode, Cynthia shares what she learned walking alongside him through the final chapter of his life — and why she says it was the most important thing she's ever done.
Cynthia credits HopeWest's hospice program with giving her and Todd's family something she didn't expect: the removal of fear. Knowing what to expect, knowing who to call, knowing that Todd could hear her even when he seemed gone — that knowledge, she says, changed everything about his final hours.
Know Us Before You Need Us
HopeWest has served the Western Slope for nearly 35 years. President and CEO Deneen Silva and Chief Clinical Officer Lindsay Kampfer join Brody in Studio M in Montrose to explain what the organization actually does — and to challenge the idea that hospice is only for the very end.
HopeWest offers hospice, palliative care, dementia support, grief and bereavement services for adults and children, and a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly. HopeWest serves a large stretch of the Western Slope — from Paonia and Hotchkiss through Montrose and Ouray, across the Grand Valley and up to Rifle, with home-based palliative care reaching as far north as Meeker.
Two things that surprise most people: the hospice Medicare benefit is covered at one hundred percent — no deductibles, no copays. And HopeWest turns no one away, regardless of ability to pay.
Their message is simple: know us before you need us.
Showing Up
Moriah Melin is a birth and death midwife in the North Fork Valley. She calls herself a veil walker — someone who supports the coming and going of souls, and the people who love them.
In this episode, Moriah offers a framework for the rest of us — the neighbors, the friends, the people who want to help but don't know how. Her five principles for showing up require no professional training. They start with willingness, and end with what she calls sitting in the fire: the willingness to stay even when you feel uncomfortable.
Moriah's work is available through her website at standingattheveil.com.
Resources
HopeWest serves Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco counties. Hospice, palliative care, grief support, dementia care, and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) services are available. No referral from a doctor is needed to call. Visit hopewestco.org or call your nearest HopeWest office.
Moriah Melin is a birth and death midwife serving the North Fork Valley. Learn more at standingattheveil.com.
Medical Assistance in Dying is legal in Colorado. To learn more about eligibility and the process, visit coloradoendoflifeoptions.org and official information from CDPHE.
