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STATE AGENCY ACTION REPORTON APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATE OF NEEDA.PROJECT IDENTIFICATION1.Applicant/CON Action NumberCompassionate Care Hospice of Pasco, Inc./CON #105332525 Drane Field Road, Suite 4Lakeland, Florida 33811Authorized Representative:Judith Grey(201) 919-4904Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc./CON #105342445 Lane Park RoadTavares, Florida 32278Authorized Representative:Charles O. Lee(352) 348-3823North Central Florida Hospice, Inc./CON #105354200 NW 90th BoulevardGainesville, Florida 32606Authorized Representative:Patrick E. Allen(352) 378-2121PruittHealth Hospice - 5A, LLC/CON #105361626 Jeurgens CourtNorcross, Georgia 30093Authorized Representative:Neil L. Pruitt, Jr.(770) 279-6200Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Pasco County, LLC/CON #105376400 Shafer Court, Suite 700Rosemont, Illinois 60018Authorized Representative:Todd A. Stern(847) 692-1127
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, Inc./CON #105385771 Roosevelt BoulevardClearwater, Florida 33760Authorized Representative:Rafael J. Sciullo(727) 586-4432Tidewell Hospice, Inc./CON #105395955 Rand BoulevardSarasota, Florida 34238Authorized Representative:Gerard D. Radford, CHE(941) 552-7525VITAS Healthcare Corporation of Florida/CON #105406300 La Calma Drive, Suite 170Austin, Texas 78752Authorized Representative:2.Ronald T. Luke, JD, PhD(512) 371-8166Service District/SubdistrictHospice Service Area 5A (Pasco County)B.PUBLIC HEARINGA public hearing was not held or requested regarding the proposedprojects to establish a new hospice program in Hospice Service Area 5A.Letters of SupportEach applicant submitted letters of support which are discussed below.Compassionate Care Hospice of Pasco, Inc. (CON #10533) includesletters of support from community members, patients and families, localhealth providers and facilities all endorsing support of the proposal.Letters of support are noted from: Dr. Stephen Leedy, Consulting Chief Medical Officer for GulfsideHospice and Pasco Palliative Care and Compassionate Care Hospice’sNational Medical Director Francisco Gonzalez, Executive Director, Life Care Center of WinterHaven Shelby Scott, Administrator, Heather Hill Healthcare Center2
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. (CON #10534) includesletters of support from community members, academic institutions, localbusinesses, state elected officials, local health providers and facilities(e.g. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs)),civic institutions, community service organizations and insurance groupsall endorsing support of the proposal. Form letters are present amongthe letters of support. Letters of support are noted from: Heather Palladino, Director of Care Management, Florida HospitalWaterman Wendy Stoutjesdijk, NHA Administrator, Brandywyne Health CareCenter Jennifer Iglesias, RN-CM (Director of Case Management), FloridaHospital Wesley Chapel Teresa H. Velazquez, MHA, Vice President of Business Development,Consulate Health Care (Pasco County) Christopher Kraster, Administrator, Cinnamon Cove Assisted LivingFacility (ALF) Edith Gendron, Chief of Operations, Alzheimer’s and DementiaResource Center Virginia Rice, Executive Director, American House Zephyrhills Doris Martinez, Administrator, Pond’s Edge ALF Gloria Javier, Administrator, Pretty Pond Manor Michelle Hurst, Administrator, Rosecastle of Zephyrhills Jake Mitchell, Administrator, Royal Oak Nursing Center Richard Kuhlmeyer, Administrator, Zephyr Haven Health andRehabilitationNorth Central Florida Hospice, Inc. (CON #10535) provides letters ofsupport from community service organizations, local health providersand facilities. Form letters are present among the letters of support.Letters of support are noted from: Joseph Pino, MD, MBA, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer, RegionalMedical Center Bayonet Point Jake Mitchell, Administrator, Royal Oak Nursing Center Shelby Scott, Administrator, Heather Hill Healthcare CenterPruittHealth Hospice - 5A, LLC (CON #10536) does not include anyletters of support with the application.Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Pasco County, LLC(CON #10537) provides letters of support from community serviceorganizations, local health providers and facilities (nursing homes, ALFs,home health agencies, hospital employees), religious groups, educationalinstitutions and community members. Letters of support are noted from: Marlies Sarrett, RN, NHA, Administrator, Baldomero Lopez StateVeterans’ Affairs3
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 Grey Ryan, NHA, Administrator, Madison Pointe Care CenterJake Mitchell, Administrator, Royal Oak Nursing CenterChris Knopp, LPN, Director, Solaris Healthcare – Bayonet PointVirginia Rice, Executive Director, American House Senior LivingCommunities – ZephyrhillsRachel Jones, Executive Director, Angels Senior Living at ConnertonCourtLeslie Mata, Administrator, Azaleas ALFEunice Livingston, Owner and Administrator, Braybrook AssistedLivingTeresa Covelli, Executive Director, Brookdale CarrollwoodChristopher Kraster, Administrator, Cinnamon Cove ALFJeffrey Ward, Administrator, Heritage Park Health and RehabilitationCenterAshlea Evans, Executive Director, Life Care Center of New Port RicheyThe Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, Inc. (CON #10538) providesletters of support from members of the local government, existingproviders (home health agencies, hospice providers, hospital providers,nursing homes, ALFs), community organizations, community members,educational institutions, state-elected officials, religious leaders andgroups. Form letters are present among the letters of support. Letters ofsupport are noted from: Andrew K. Molosky, President/CEO, Hernando-Pasco Hospice, Inc.(HPH Hospice, Inc.) Kristin Surdy, RN, Executive Director, Brookdale Tarpon Springs Kristen Dalrick, Executive Director, HarborChase of Palm Harbor ALF Dawn Winder, RN, BSN, Executive Director, Grand Villa of Dunedin Glenn D. Waters, FACHE, EVP/Chief Operating Officer, BayCareHealth System Ajoy Kumar, Chief Medical Officer, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Jonathan M. Ellen, MD, President and CEO and Physician-in-Chief,Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Larry J. Feinman, D.O., FACOS, Chief Medical Officer, HCA WestFlorida DivisionTidewell Hospice, Inc. (CON #10539) provides letters of support fromexisting providers (nursing homes, ALFs, home health agencies),community service organizations, community members, members of localgovernment and educational institutions. Form letters are presentamong the letters of support. Letters of support are noted from: Grey Ryan, NHA, Administrator, Madison Pointe Care Center Jake Mitchell, Administrator, Royal Oak Nursing Center Chris Kraster, Administrator, Cinnamon Cove, ALF Eunice Livingston, Administrator, Braybrook ALF Shelby Scott, NHA, Administrator Heather Hill, Healthcare Center4
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 Darcielle Gray, Administrator, Oakview TerraceJo-Lynn Lamb, Executive Director II, Brookdale – New Port RicheyVITAS Healthcare Corporation of Florida (CON #10540) providesletters of support from area providers (nursing homes, ALFs), communitymembers and professional organizations among others. Letters ofsupport are noted from: Maryann Domingo, Executive Director, Consulate Health Care –Bayonet Point Richard Kuhlmeyer, LNHA, Administrator, Zephr Haven Health andRehab Center Virginia Rice, Executive Director, American House Zephyrhills W. Scott Ratliff, Center Executive Director, Orchard RidgeC.PROJECT SUMMARYCompassionate Care Hospice of Pasco, Inc. (CON #10533), alsoreferenced as CCHP or the applicant, is a newly formed entity whichproposes to establish a new hospice program in Hospice Service Area 5A.The parent corporation of the applicant, Compassionate Care Hospice, isan existing provider of hospice services in Hospice Service Areas: 3E, 6Band 11. The applicant expects issuance of licensure in and initiation ofservice in February 2019.The applicant proposes 205,000 in total project costs.Compassionate Care Hospice of Pasco, Inc. includes the followingSchedule C conditions: The applicant will implement its Cardiac Connections program duringits first year of operation. It will be made available to all eligibleresidents with a qualifying cardiovascular disease. As a part of thisimplementation the applicant will ensure:o Clinical management of the patient will be overseen by anadvanced practice nurse (nurse practitioner) who is cardiaccertified.o Patients will be evaluated by a cardiac nurse practitioner uponadmission in their place of residence.o The physician to be appointed as Medical Director of CardiacConnections within CCH Pasco will be a board-certifiedcardiologist.o Each patient will have a dietary consult from a registered dietician,as needed.o Holistic therapies to reduce patient’s anxiety and other symptomswill be provided.5
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 o Compassionate Care Hospice staff will maintain daily contact tomonitor symptoms; all after-hour symptom calls will receive anursing visit.o Patient and family support will be readily available with socialservices and pastoral care.o Every Cardiac Connections patient will receive a Cardiac ComfortKit to be kept in their place of residence in the case of emergency.This kit includes specific medication such as 10 tables ofnitroglycerines, 1-40 mg bottle of lasix to be administered by anurse intravenously, 2-5 mg vials of morphine to be administeredby a nurse intravenously and 10 tablets of 81 mg aspirin. TheCardiac Comfort Kit is distributed to every patient in the case ofemergency but has only been used in one percent of all CardiacConnections patients.The applicant will implement its Pulmonary Connections Program inSubdistrict 5A during Year One of operation. It will also hire aRespiratory Therapist to be actively working in this program.The applicant has conditioned approval of this application on theprovision it will become accredited by CHAP once certified.CCHP will provide a Home Health Aide ratio above NPHCO guidelinesat an average of nine to 10 hours per patient per week.The applicant has conditioned approval of this application on theprovision it will not build or operate freestanding hospice houses inPasco County.The applicant has conditioned approval of this application on theprovision it will not actively fundraise in Subdistrict 5A market.The applicant has conditioned approval of this CON application on theimplementation of the Veterans outreach program, We HonorVeterans, once certified so in the 3rd quarter after licensure.Compassionate Care Group will implement its Advanced CareConnections Program during year two of operation of CompassionateCare Hospice of Pasco, which will be made available to all eligiblePasco County residents.The applicant also includes descriptions of how compliance will bereported to the Agency for each condition.Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. (CON #10534), alsoreferenced as Cornerstone or the applicant, is an existing provider oflicensed hospice services proposing to establish a new hospice programin Hospice Service Area 5A. The applicant is an existing provider ofhospice services in Hospice Service Areas: 3E, 6B and 7B. The applicantexpects issuance of licensure on September 1, 2018 and initiation ofservice on October 1, 2018.The applicant proposes 206,149 in total project costs.6
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. includes the followingSchedule C conditions: Charity Careo Cornerstone Hospice commits to provide care to charity carepatients at an amount equal to or greater than three percent oftotal gross revenue.o This condition will be supported by the Cornerstone Foundation forat least the first two years of operation in Pasco County. Pleasesee Cornerstone Foundation’s letter following this list. Physical Presence in Pasco Countyo Cornerstone Hospice will establish a physical presence in PascoCounty either in the form of an administrative office or a branch. Veterans Programo Cornerstone Hospice will develop a specialized Veterans program inPasco County. Every Veteran patient & family that desires will berecognized by the “We Honor Veterans Salutes.” Cornerstonecommits to offering the Veterans program indefinitely. Community Bereavemento Cornerstone Hospice will commit to develop a communitybereavement program in Pasco County. The program will have aminimum of one community group consisting of eight sessions inits first year. Cornerstone commits to offering the bereavementprogram on an ongoing basis. Gold Standard Awards Programo Cornerstone Hospice will develop a Gold Standard Awards programin Pasco County for the provision of enhanced quality forpatients/families. Up to 150 will be made available for eachpatient to enhance patient experience on an ongoing basis.o This condition will be supported by the Cornerstone Foundation forat least the first two years of operation in Pasco County. Pleasesee Cornerstone Foundation’s letter following this list. Followingthe first two-years, Cornerstone will continue to request annualsupport from the Cornerstone Foundation or include the expensein its operational budget. Diversity Outreacho Cornerstone Hospice will commit to provide dedicated marketingstaff to diversity education and access. 0.5 FTE resources will beallocated to diversity outreach in Pasco County from day one ofoperation. Community Advisory Committeeo Cornerstone Hospice will develop a community advisory committee,focusing on addressing community specific health care needs. Aminimum of two community advisory meetings will be held in thefirst year of operation in Pasco County.7
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 Pulmonologists Meetingso Cornerstone Hospice will hold routine meetings with leadingcommunity pulmonologists ensuring the needs of the COPDcommunity are met. A minimum of two community pulmonologymeetings will be held in the first year of operation.Dyspnea Self-Management Program (DSMP) Programo Cornerstone Hospice will utilize specialized DSMP program to aidin addressing Pasco County’s high rate of COPD patients for atleast the first two years of operation. One hundred percent ofappropriate COPD patients will be offered DSMP training.Continuing Education Programming (CEUs)o Cornerstone Hospice will commit to extending free CEU in-servicesto the health care community (both inside and outside of theCornerstone family). Topics will cover a wide range of bothrequired and pertinent subjects. A minimum of 10 in-services willbe offered in a variety of health care settings in year one.Additional CEU will be provided on an ongoing basisSeven-Day Case Management Modelo Cornerstone Hospice will commit to provide seven-day-a-weekscheduled RN visits for at least the first two years of operation.One hundred percent of patients will be assigned two RN casemanagers to span scheduled visits seven days a week for the firsttwo years of operation.Community Educationo Cornerstone Hospice will conduct “Being Moral” presentationswithin Pasco County, creating attention and focused end-of-lifedialogue. A minimum of two community presentations will be heldduring the first two years.Nurse Preceptor Programo Cornerstone Hospice will require all new hires to attend five-weekon-boarding. One hundred percent of RNs will be required toattend on-boarding program for at least the first two years ofoperation.Pet Therapy/Pet Peace of Mindo Cornerstone will commit to expand the Pet Peace of Mind Programinto Pasco County, similar to its other three territories. 1,500 willbe allocated for the first and second years of operation to supportthe Pet Peace of Mind program.o This condition will be supported by the Cornerstone Foundation forat least the first two years of operation in Pasco County. Pleasesee Cornerstone Foundation’s letter following this list.8
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 Jewish Presenceo Cornerstone will be accredited by the National Institute for JewishHospice. All staff will be trained to develop individualized careplans that recognize the Jewish culture and beliefs for the first twoyears of operation.Oncology Educationo To increase access to the under-65 population with cancer inPasco County, Cornerstone Hospice will commit to providingfocused education surrounding oncology criteria and patientaccess. Cornerstone will provide physician/community-basededucation as well as education programs within the local cancercenters and high acuity settings. Routine education will beprovided to hospital-based staff focused on the care of the oncologypatient. Further, support group presence will be offered to thehospital-based cancer center to augment support provided topatients actively undergoing treatment.The applicant provides descriptions of the types of documentation thatwill be supplied to the Agency in order to document compliance witheach condition. Cornerstone Hospice also includes a letter in Schedule Cof CON #10534 signed by Ann Tallman, Board Chair of the CornerstoneHospice Foundation which states that for the first two years ofoperations, the foundation will fund 100.0 percent of: uncompensatedcare, “Pet Peace of Mind” program and “Gold Standards” program. Theletter also states that Cornerstone Hospice Foundation will showevidence of support in its annual budget and annual income statements.North Central Florida Hospice, Inc. (CON #10535), also referenced byits “doing business as” name of Haven or the applicant, is an existingprovider of licensed hospice services proposing to establish a newhospice program in Hospice Service Area 5A. The applicant is an existingprovider of hospice services in Hospice Service Areas: 3A, 4A and 4B.The applicant expects issuance of licensure in December 2018 andinitiation of service in January 2019.The applicant proposes 310,000 in total project costs.Haven includes the following Schedule C conditions: The only way some hospice patients have access to hospice services isif the hospice agrees to include palliative radiation or chemotherapy inthe patient’s plan of care. Not all hospice programs provide suchservices, even if medically necessary. Haven will make it a conditionof this application to provide palliative radiation or chemotherapy toensure optimal symptom management, as medically needed.9
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 According to Medicare Claims, the hospice penetration rate hasdecreased from 91 percent in 2010 to 77 percent in 2017. Haven willprovide Advance Care Planning (ACP) to the 5A community to increasecommunication about patients’ health care goals and their wishes. Aspart of their process, a trained ACP facilitator will provide thecommunity member, their family members, as well as their healthcare providers with a list of their documented goals. There is nocharge to the individual or their health care provider for this service.Approximately nine percent of Service Area 5A residents are Veterans.Veterans have unique end-of-life needs and benefit from targetedprograms. Haven will extend the We Honor Veterans into 5A.Hospice patients and their families often experience severe physical,spiritual and emotional distress. Patients need hospice providers whoare experts in alleviating their painful symptoms, while families oftenneed spiritual and emotional support during a loved one’s death.Haven conditions the application on the provision that it will meet orexceed the following quality and patient satisfaction indicators:o Pain Control: On the date of admission, responsive patients will berequested to rate their pain on 0-10 World Health Organizationpain scale. A pain history will be created for each patient. Thepain scores will be recorded in Haven’s Electronic Medical Record.Ninety percent or more of the patients who report severe pain willreport a reduction to five or less by day four. Florida Statutes400.6051 requires only a 50 percent reduction, so this exceedsFlorida statutory requirements and is a significant commitment toexcellence.o Rating of this hospice: Utilizing the Medicare.gov hospice comparedata Haven will meet or exceed the national average for familycaregivers’ survey results for the section: willing to recommend thishospice.o Hospital readmission rate: Haven’s hospital readmission rate willbe at or below three percent.Haven will establish and fully staff its initial office and care deliveryteam in 5A within six months of the receipt of a certificate of need.Haven conditions this application on the following requirements forcertain staff positions:o Haven will only employ for social work positions persons who aremaster’s level in social work, or licensed clinical social workers.Haven encourages all who work in social work positions to becomelicensed clinical social workers by providing certified social worksupervisors to provide supervision for licensure. Certified socialwork supervisors are Haven employees.10
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 o Haven will only employ ordained or faith/denominationallycertified chaplains who have a Master’s of Divinity degree from agraduate school accredited by the Association of TheologicalSchools or equivalent for non-Christian/Jewish faiths. Chaplainsmust also have had at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education(CPE).o Haven will encourage RNs to become certified hospice andpalliative nurses by providing education tuition reimbursement forrelated classes and will provide a salary increase adjustment forthose who become certified.Routine home medical equipment/durable medical equipment(HME/DME) will be provided directly by Haven Hospice staff as part ofthe scope of services. Contracted medical equipment companies willprovide only liquid oxygen, unusual or specialty HME/DME withHaven maintaining written contracts for these. Haven will establish awritten policy in 5A to this effect.Haven’s volunteer based No One Dies Alone (NODA) program will beimplemented in 5A within one year of establishing its office there.Haven’s commitment to its patients and families in need include thosehow are food insecure, a term the USDA defines as lacking “enoughfood for an active, healthy life.” Haven conditions this application onextending its Food Pantry for Patients/Families into its 5A offices.After-hours phone calls to Haven by patients and families will beanswered by Haven staff, not by a contracted answering service or acomputerized attendant. Haven will establish a written policy in 5A tothis effect.Haven conditions this application on RN case managers, socialworkers and chaplains using laptop computers in the field to collectand input clinical information into the electronic medical record inorder to maximize clinical information availability for quick responseto patient/family needs. Haven will conduct internal managementaudits on a periodic basis to assess adherence with the associatedpolicies and practices.From the initiation of services, Haven will employ two full timeprofessional liaisons and one full-time customer service specialist in5A.A Haven Hospice staff member will contact all patients admitted athome, not in a facility, within 48 hours of admission and then againafter seven days if not seen nor contacted before to ensure patient/family needs are being met. A written policy will be in effect for 5A aswell as internal collection and assessment of data to assessconformance with this policy.Haven will respond to referrals within two hours of receipt of thereferral. A written policy in 5A will establish this as well as aninternal collection and analysis system enabling management toassess conformance to this condition.11
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540 Haven Hospice will provide each patients’ hospice medicationsthrough a regional or national pharmacy benefit management system,which will allow patients/families access to an extensive network ofpharmacies inside and outside of 5A maximizing patient/familyresponsiveness, access and choice.Haven will conduct semi-annual meetings with all contractedhospitals and long-term care facilities to review quality of service andresponsiveness. A policy will be established to this effect. Haven willinternally collect and record data enabling management to assessconformance with this condition.Haven will forgo fundraising in 5A for the initial first two years to besensitive to the needs of and relationships with the current providers.Haven will hire an individual who will focus on outreach to minoritycommunities as well as to veterans’ groups in 5A, and condition thisapplication on maintaining this position for the first three years ofoperation.Haven will provide a team of bilingual staff in 5A committed to servingSpanish-speaking patients and families. This team will speak andunderstand Spanish, be educated to and culturally sensitive of Latinoculture. Haven will target the recruitment and retention of bilingualstaff (English/Spanish) in 5A to achieve and maintain at least 10percent of Haven’s 5A staff. Haven will establish written policies in 5Ato this effect.Spanish speaking bereavement counselors will work with hospicesurvivors.Haven will provide an advance directive such as “Five Wishes” inSpanish, as well as other culturally relevant material in Spanish.This will be effected by written policy for 5A.The reviewer notes that the applicant provides a description of theAssociation of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States andCanada, CPE and a supplemental description of compliance with eachcondition noted in its Schedule C.PruittHealth Hospice - 5A, LLC (CON #10536) also referenced asPHH5A or the applicant, is a newly-formed entity proposing to establish anew hospice program in Hospice Service Area 5A. The applicant expectsissuance of licensure in December 2018 and initiation of service inJanuary 2019.The applicant proposes 378,586 in total project costs.In Schedule C of CON application #10536, PHH5A marks items 3 and 4but does not attach any conditions in Schedule C.1Schedule C indicates that s.408.040, Florida Statutes, provides for a certificate of need to be awardedpredicated upon statements made in the application112
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540On page 36 of CON application #10536 the applicant states that thefollowing are conditions of approval for the proposal:Location Serve subdistrict 5A Pasco County Establish a home office in Pasco CountyProgramming/Operational Conditions Implement a program designed to reduce hospital re-admissions; thecurrent program utilized by PruittHealth is INTERACT 3.0. Theprogram to be implemented will be this program or other similarlydesigned program based on the most recent quality driven programPruittHealth determines to be available at the time of implementation. Incorporate “Disease Management Care Pathways” into theSubdistrict 5A operations. Incorporate PruittHealth’s QAPI Plan into the Subdistrict 5Aoperations. Assure all staff maintains ongoing training and continuing educationcredits utilizing Pruitt University and at no cost to the employees. Participate in a company-wide annual quality report to demonstratetransparency in operations and make this quality report available tothe public.The applicant states that these conditions will be measured byfurnishing the Agency with certificates, utilization data and otherinformation as needed on an ongoing basis. PHH5A indicates that it willdraw upon the experience and resources of its corporate office inNorcross, Georgia and other existing PruittHealth Hospice agencies andaffiliated organizations. The applicant states that approval of theproposal will establish a hospice program in Subdistrict 5A that willassure end-of-life care.Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Pasco County, LLC(CON #10537), also referenced as SHP or the applicant, is an existingprovider of licensed hospice services proposing to establish a newhospice program in Hospice Service Area 5A. The parent company of theapplicant, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, is an existing provider ofhospice services in Hospice Service Areas: 5B2, 6A, 10 and 11. Theapplicant expects issuance of licensure in June 2019 and an initiation ofservice in July 2019.The applicant proposes 719,500 in total project costs.Per Agency records, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Pinellas County, LLC was licensed onApril 4, 2018.213
CON Action Numbers: 10533 through 10540Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Pasco County, LLC, includes thefollowing Schedule C conditions: Implement Seasons’ “No One Dies Alone” policy in Pasco County.Seasons educates staff and volunteers to identify when the patient isapproaching the final weeks of life, providing additional support.Continuous care is available when the patient meets the eligibilityrequirements. Otherwise, the “Volunteer Vigil” program providesspecially trained volunteers to stay with the patient throughout thedying process. When volunteers are unavailable Seasons staff willhold vigil to ensure no one dies alone. Seasons’ 24-hour call centeroperations provide another level of assurance to deal with anyemergencies, concerns or feats that may arise. Seasons offers therapies beyond the core hospice services. Seasonsprovides one full time equivalent (FTE) for music therapy per 100patients Seasons establishes a “Homeless Program” in Pasco County. Seasonscommits to ongoing funding of the program for homeless hospicepatients to offer shelter and comfort in their final days. The fundingamount is 10,000 in the first year, 15,000 in the second year, 20,000 in the third year, 25,000 in the fourth year and 30,000 ineach subsequent year. Housing vouchers will be offered based onindividual needs and resources from subsidizing rent to supportingthe entire expense for monthly assisted living facility care. If needs of
implementation of the Veterans outreach program, We Honor Veterans, once certified so in the 3rd quarter after licensure. Compassionate Care Group will implement its Advanced Care Connections Program during year two of operation of Compassionate Care Hospice of Pasco, which will be made available to all eligible Pasco County residents.
