Florida-based Hospice of St. Francis has rebranded as St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Center. Revisions to the name and logo were made in light of the organization’s expanded scope of community-based services in an area with a growing need for serious illness and end-of-life care.
“After forty-three years of service to the people of Brevard [County] and growing the scope of services, we are pleased to announce that Hospice of St. Francis will now be known as St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care,” said President and CEO, Joe Killian. “Our scope of services now includes palliative care, hospice care, pediatric palliative care, and the Space Coast’s most extensive array of grief support programs. Our staff is deeply committed to providing high-quality care as they bring help and hope at some of life’s most challenging stages.”
Founded in 1977, the non-profit organization provides end-of-life, palliative and pediatric palliative care along with grief support to communities in Brevard County, located along the state’s eastern “Space Coast” region near the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.
“We chose the name St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care because it retained our legacy as St. Francis while allowing us the space to reflect our extensive scope of services that are continuing to grow in response to the needs of our community,” said Chief Strategy Officer Cami Leech Florio. “Our new color palette reflects some of the natural elements that we are blessed to enjoy in our beautiful coastal environment.”
The area has a growing need for aging and end-of-life care services, with seniors 65 and older comprising nearly a quarter of the Brevard County population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida ranked fourth among the states at 57.9% among Medicare decedents in 2018, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Utah had the highest rate at 60.5% that year.
Hospice of St. Francis began as an all-volunteer organization founded by nurse Emilie Sasko under a vision to have neighbors within the community help those who became terminally ill with end-of-life care needs. Providing community engagement through volunteer-based services, the hospice provider has since expanded into palliative and pediatric palliative care.
Stakeholders in the hospice space and beyond have recognized the increased need for community-based palliative care delivered in home settings, calling for federal agencies to do the same. Efforts have been underway among health care providers, state governments, advocacy groups and payers, among others, to make community based palliative care more accessible to patients and families.
“Our protocols and platforms are continuously being enhanced and upgraded to provide the best possible care for our patients,” said Marsha Abeln, chief financial officer at St. Francis. “Complemented by our robust community engagement program and energetic volunteer services team, Emilie Sasko’s founding principle of neighbor-helping-neighbor is always at the forefront of our minds and our hearts.”
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