FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2017
CONTACT:
Colleen Leonard Leyden; Director Corporate Marketing and Public Relations
610-431-5699
colleen.leyden@uphs.upenn.edu
For more than 100 years, Neighborhood Health has been a trusted member of the community, providing home health, hospice and outreach services to create a better state of health for patients under its care.
The evolution of Neighborhood Health has grown nonstop over the years. In 1995, the home health program became a subsidiary of Chester County Hospital. When the hospital joined Penn Medicine in 2013, Neighborhood Health followed suit. As part of Penn Medicine, Neighborhood Health offers the only stand-alone Inpatient Hospice unit in Chester County.
Upon its inception, the unit was a new concept in hospice care. The uncommon Inpatient Hospice unit, a 22-bed state-of-the-art facility dedicated to those in need of skilled nursing at all hours of the day, celebrated its 10-year anniversary throughout 2017.
“We identified a need to care for patients outside of their home when we discussed that the primary caregiver was unable to tend to the advanced needs of their loved one at home,” said Heidi Owen, Director of Hospice Services. “At the same time, patients did not want to be in the hospital for their end of life nor could our visiting nurses bring that peaceful, welcoming feeling into a hospital.” From these findings, the group began its search for an inpatient location that would offer end-of-life care in a warm environment.
“On our third attempt we found a space,” Owen shared. The former tenant of 400 East Marshall Street moved out in December 2006. By August 2007, Neighborhood Health’s Inpatient Hospice Unit was caring for its first patient in West Chester.
Each room on the 26,000-square-foot unit is private, no matter its size. A private room befits patient care at the end of life. Rooms are equipped with recliners and fold-out couches for family and friends keeping vigil with a loved one. The unit is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week for visitors.
Other amenities for families and friends include toys for younger children, a teen room with video games, a meditation room for quiet reflection and privacy, and a fully-equipped kitchen where a favorite meal can be prepared for a patient or where guests can make an occasional meal for themselves.
Thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers, the organization also provides many personal touches not found elsewhere. Each patient receives a hand-knitted blanket; birthdays are celebrated with homemade cakes designed and baked to the individual’s request; musical performances are held regularly; and veterans are honored for their service with a specially designed quilt and custom plaque.
“The unit gives family members the opportunity to just be family. When a loved one is ill and nearing end of life it’s hard to separate yourself from being the caregiver,” said Mari DeMenna, Outreach, Education and Facilitation Liaison.
Since opening, the Inpatient unit has cared for more than 4,000 patients. The culmination of Neighborhood Health’s Inpatient Hospice 10-year anniversary celebration was held on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at the Neighborhood Health Inpatient unit.
Neighborhood Hospice provides care not only on the inpatient unit, but in the community as well. It serves over 700 patients each year throughout Chester, western Delaware, eastern Lancaster, Southern Berks and Montgomery Counties. Neighborhood Hospice cares for patients anywhere they call home whether it is in their own home, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, continuing care communities, group homes and other home-like settings. The team consists of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, chaplains, physical, occupational and speech therapists, dietary counseling, support staff and over 160 volunteers. Bereavement services are available for anyone in the community who has lost a loved one, not just families on Hospice. The bereavement coordinator has cared for over 1,200 families annually.