Hospice Providers Expanding with Inpatient Units, De Novos

Aveanna Opens Hospice De Novo

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAH) has opened a de novo in Greenville, Alabama. Through the new location, Aveanna provides advanced palliative care and hospice to community-based patients.

The home health and hospice provider will also offer bereavement and family support services to the community, as well as 24/7 on-call clinical support for emergencies, medication management and assistance obtaining medical equipment.

“The hospice is ready to serve the community, and is fully equipped to care for terminally ill patients, to help manage pain and symptoms, and minimize effects of disease,” the company indicated in a local news report.

Aspirus at Home Spreads Its Reach in Michigan

Aspirus at Home has widened its home health and hospice footprint into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Established in 1947, the nonprofit home health and hospice provider is part of the Aspirus Health system and has a service region that spans nine locations across Wisconsin and Michigan. Aspirus at Home provides hospice, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapies.

The expansion is aimed at increasing access to end-of-life care and supportive service to patients and families in northern Michigan, according to Tom Kaster, Aspirus Health’s interim vice president of post-acute care.

The move adds eight cities to Aspirus’ existing geographic reach in the state.

“Expanding our hospice and palliative care programs to Iron County is part of our commitment to providing high quality care and a vital service to our rural communities,” Kaster said in a statement. “Our goal is to always keep patients comfortable, educate families and caregivers, and provide the highest levels of compassionate care. We will meet people wherever they are in their health care journey and help them to feel most comfortable wherever they call home.”

Delaware Hospice Opens New Hospital-Based Inpatient Unit

Delaware Hospice Inc. has opened a new inpatient unit at St. Francis Hospital.

The hospital-based hospice unit was born from a partnership with Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, a member of the Trinity Healthcare System.

Patients in and around the hospitals’ community in Wilmington, Delaware, lacked access to inpatient and respite care services, which sparked the collaboration to launch the facility.

“The community-centered philosophy at Saint Francis Hospital and Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic is a natural fit for Delaware Hospice’s new inpatient unit,” Charlotte Scott-Coleman, the unit’s new associate director, told local news. “St. Francis has served as a beacon of light for the surrounding community for decades. Generations of children have been born there. Now, families will have a place for their loved ones to experience a peaceful death to complete the circle of life.”

Some of Delaware Hospice’s home-based staff are in the process of being trained to provide inpatient-level services as the unit anticipates growing demand for this care.

The inpatient unit currently features eight beds with a goal to double that number by late 2024 when it opens. The facility will include a meditation room and a kitchen area for families to prepare and share meals, among other features in a home-like environment.

Joshua’s House to Launch Facility for Unhoused Hospice Populations

California-based Joshua’s House has announced plans to build a hospice facility for unhoused populations.

Launching such a facility comes with the intention to “provide a dignified, compassionate place to die” for terminally ill individuals experiencing homelessness, representatives said in local news reports.

An estimated 1-in-5 homeless persons die every five days in Sacramento County, California, where the facility will be located, according to the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. Many of these individuals die from natural causes and serious illnesses without access to end-of-life care.

The nonprofit hospice provider has received pushback on the center’s location from the community. The inpatient facility will be located across the street from an elementary school, with community members concerned about potential rises in crime in the area.

“I had a grandson who struggled with homelessness and died – and that was it for me,” Marlene Von Friedrichs-Fitzwater, Joshua’s House founder and CEO, told local news.

The hospice house is named after Von Friedrichs-Fitzwater’s grandson. The original location would have cost roughly $7 million to retrofit, causing the hospice to look elsewhere.

“The city suggested a property that they owned and would lease to us,” Von Friedrichs-Fitzwater stated. “We wouldn’t pay rent, but we would pay annual property taxes.”