Ohio’s Community Mercy Hospice Expands With New Office

Springfield-based Ohio’s Community Mercy Hospice recently opened a new office location in Clark County, in the central region of the state. 

The new location will allow for expanded community reach and access to hospice care in the area, as well as across three surrounding counties, according to Melissa Blosser, director of care at Ohio’s Community Mercy Hospice.

“Our mission is to celebrate the lives of those we have the privilege of serving by providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family,” said Blosser in a company announcement.

The new 5,600-square-foot center will be home base for more than 30 staff who will provide hospice care to roughly 130 patients daily. Additionally, volunteers at the center visit with patients, provide caregiver relief/respite, assist with administrative tasks and deliver supplies to patients.

Established in 2004, the nonprofit community-based provider offers all four levels of hospice care.

Hospice utilization among Medicare descendants runs high in the Buckeye State. Reaching a rate of 56.7% in 2018, Ohio ranked sixth nationwide for hospice utilization that year, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Utah topped the list with a rate of 60.5%.

Demand for end-of-life care services is anticipated to climb in Ohio as the aging population swells. Currently, seniors represent 17.5% of the state’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

By 2030, the aging population of adults 60 and older is anticipated to grow by 30%, according to projections from the Ohio Department of Aging.

In preparation, the state has initiated a Plan on Aging that will address five main areas of older adult needs: seamless access to information and advocacy services; population health outcomes; caregiver access to resources and services; civic and volunteer engagement in community services; and the ability to age in place, the Department of Aging reported.

Ohio’s Community Mercy Hospice is an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton. Both organizations are members of Ohio’s Hospice, a regional partnership of nine nonprofit community-based providers, in addition to other joint ventures and community organizations.

The partnership in 2020 expanded its bereavement services with the development of the Pathways of Hope program, which provides grief support and additional services to anyone experiencing loss, regardless of whether their loved one was a patient.

The new office will feature a Pathways of Hope Grief Counseling Center that will offer counseling and education to the community at large and is not limited to families of their own patients.

“All grief support services are free, regardless of whether an individual has been served by [us]. Through Pathways of Hope, we are better able to support the ever-growing needs of those we are privileged to serve,” Amy Wagner, president of Ohio’s Hospice, previously told Hospice News.