Bend-Ore.-based hospice and palliative care provider Partners in Care has established plans for a 14,600-square-foot Hospice House in its local community. The facility will offer inpatient hospice care for patients whose symptoms cannot be managed in the home, as well as respite care.
The facility, expected to begin operations in late 2021, will include 12-suites featuring abundant natural light, with space for family members to stay overnight. Decor will reflect the natural environment of the state of Oregon, including artwork depicting rivers, mountains and other landscapes.
The organization cited increasing demand for the general inpatient, inpatient respite care and continuous home care levels of hospice care as an impetus for the project.
“Nearly twenty years ago, a six-bed inpatient unit was constructed within the clinical administrative building on our four-acre campus. While it has served Partners In Care well, it is inadequate to meet the needs of our growing region and limits our ability to provide all three levels of care,” Partners in Care CEO Eric Alexander said in a letter. “The new facility will address these limitations while setting us on a course of financial sustainability and flexibility to meet the needs of patients at the end of their lives.”
The grounds of the facility will include a park area where patients can visit with their pets, as well as an outdoor garden, chapel and play spaces for children. Food is prepared in a large commercial kitchen. Beds are adorned with locally made quilts.
The expected average length of stay at Hospice House is five days, according to Alexander. An estimated 70% of patients admitted to the house will pass away in the facility, while the remaining 30% will transition back to the home after their symptoms are under control or their family caregivers have received the necessary respite.
“The new Hospice House is the centerpiece of a master plan for the expansion of our Bend campus. A new surface parking lot will accommodate over 70 vehicles, and the remodeling of the clinical administration building will provide more space for staff, volunteers, and community groups to gather,” Alexander indicated. “These three projects are estimated to cost $12 million — half coming from our financial reserves and the balance raised through a capital campaign.”
