FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Kal Mistry, Chief Administrative Officer/Senior Vice President
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 305-350-5990
Megan Carella, APR, Public Relations Editor
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 352-560-3415
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® Opens
Inpatient Hospice Unit at Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 26, 2010—VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®’s new inpatient hospice unit at Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital offers patients and their families a more complete range of options in hospice care. VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Philadelphia will host the dedication of the unit on Wednesday, June 1, 2010, with a community open house, refreshments, music and tours from 7 a.m. to noon. Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital is located at 2301 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 19148.
Located on floor 2B of Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital, the seven-private-bed unit offers hospice and palliative care, along with respite and supportive care, in a comfortable, tranquil and homelike environment that embraces patients and their families and visitors. A VITAS interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, volunteers and bereavement support staff attend not only to the medical needs of patients but also to the emotional, social and spiritual needs of patients and their families.
“Home, rather than the hospital, is where most hospice patients want to be,” says Rosemary Baughn, RN, MSN, VITAS senior general manager. “But sometimes the illness makes that difficult. This inpatient unit, solely staffed by VITAS professional care providers, is ‘a home away from home.’”
“The décor is home-like, we have 24/7 visiting hours and room for family members to stay the night. At the same time, we’re always providing patients with the highest level of care,” adds Christine Martyniuk, RN, NHA, VITAS patient care administrator.
The unit uses soothing colors, homey patterns and comfortable furniture, like rocker-recliners, to ensure a non-institutional environment for patients and their family members. The unit’s family room, with its television and children’s area, invites conversation and visiting. There are facilities for families to enjoy special meals; and a quiet room inspires introspection and adds to the peaceful environment.
This temporary unit at Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital will provide care to VITAS patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families until the completion of VITAS’ 16-bed state-of-the-art inpatient hospice unit in Jefferson’s Methodist Hospital’s new Wolfe Street addition. The new unit is scheduled to open in late 2010.
For more information, call VITAS at 610.260.6020.
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® (www.vitas.com) is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care. A pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, VITAS has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties since 1993.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter.