Hospice opens facility in Lecanto

By Jim Hunter - Citrus County Chronicle.

Hospice of Citrus County formally went public Thursday with its new facility in Lecanto.

In a public reception termed “A House Warming,” Hospice staff, volunteers and board members introduced the new 16-bed facility to the public and hosted a crowd of interested persons and supporters through the building.

The facility is named “the Hospice House” for the time being, though it will likely take the name of a major donor in the future. The capital fundraising campaign for the $2.7 million facility has raised about $250,000 so far and major donors are being sought as the campaign continues, according to Hospice Director of Operation Bonnie Saylor.

A couple hundred people attended and toured the facility Thursday after the commemoration ceremony, which was highlighted by a speech by Hospice of Citrus County Board President Judge Mark Yerman. He thanked the supporters of Hospice for their compassion, their vision and their work in making the dream of the state-of -the-art facility become reality.

He said it would serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families in Citrus County in a “blessed mission.”

The facility, off County Road 491 in the back of the Audubon office complex, is the first separate, stand-alone facility for Hospice of Citrus County. Hospice has served the area’s end-of-life care needs since 1986 in patients’ homes and in health facilities. Hospice also now has a patient facility space it leases in Citrus Memorial Hospital.

The new stand-alone facility in Lecanto has two separate eight-bed wings, either of which can be closed to save expenses if not needed. A bathroom is shared by each pair of back-to-back rooms. There is a nursing station in each wing.

The rooms have a chair that can be converted into a bed for relatives who want to stay with the patient.

The facility has a children’s room with a TV, books and toys and a family room with a TV, computer, books and magazines and comfortable furniture. There are enclosed porches at either end of the building with doors that allow a patient’s bed to be wheeled through.

The facility’s kitchen is designed to serve personalized meals for patients and families. The facility has a full-time medical director, Dr. Wui Chien, a nursing staff and doctors on call 24 hours.

One of Thursday’s visitors was Jack Finnerty, whose late sister Dorothy was served by Hospice before her death. He and friends had subsequently donated for one of the rooms, and a plaque next to the room commemorated that. The plaque noted his name and “the Italian Snowbirds” — his neighbors — who helped furnish the room. He said Hospice staff had become like his family. Of the facility, he said, looking around him, “It’s wonderful.”

Hospice officials said they realized a few years ago that the organization needed a separate inpatient facility for some patients. Although Hospice care at home will continue to be the primary focus of the organization, the facility will serve some patients who have special, short-term needs related to symptoms and situations that cannot be managed at home.

Most services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. There is no cost to the patients or their families for services. Donations and gifts are used to cover the cost of services for those patients served who are not covered by insurance.

The concept for the facility was born in 2002, when the board of directors decided to build the facility on its five acres where the administrative office was located. Construction began in 2005. An addition is planned adjacent that will include facilities for administration, meeting/community rooms and educational facilities, but the current facility will have to be paid off first, CEO Tony Palumbo said.

Of the new facility, he said none of it could have happened without the leadership of the board of directors and the layers of people and organizations who contributed. He said the facility has been a high priority. One of the board members who heard Palumbo’s comment repaid his compliment, saying in response “He’s our shining star.”

Palumbo summed it up, saying, “It’s just a real proud day.”

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