Established in 1985, Hospice of the Valley is the only 501 c-3 nonprofit organization providing hospice services in Morgan and Lawrence counties. The mission of the organization is to provide compassionate end-of-life care designed to meet the physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient and family enabling them to experience life and death with grace and dignity.

Accredited by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Hospice of the Valley is an approved Medicare/Medicaid provider and receives reimbursement from all major insurance companies. If a patient does not have insurance, there is no charge to the patient or family for hospice care. United Way, memorials, gifts and contributions from the community help cover the cost of a patient's care. The goal of Hospice of the Valley is to provide care based on need, rather than ability to pay.

The criteria to be a Hospice of the Valley patient states that a patient must be in the last stages of a life-threatening illness and be a resident of Morgan or Lawrence County. Physician referral of a patient is required for admittance into the program. Hospice of the Valley is an interdisciplinary program employing dedicated, caring professionals who seek to promote comfort and quality of life for their patients. Hospice of the Valley provides primary nursing care with 24-hour/7-day-a-week on-call nursing services, social workers, chaplain services, trained volunteers to provide respite care, home health aides, medical equipment and supplies, oxygen and medications related to the patient's illness. Additional services may include physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as dietary consultations. The above services along with pain and symptom management are provided in the patient's home, nursing home or the hospital.

In 2001, Hospice of the Valley provided compassionate care to 310 patients with 213 patients admitted from Morgan County and 62 from Lawrence County. There were 35 patients carried over from 2000. Dedicated volunteers provided 5,577 hours and the number of home care days were 18,237. There were 190 hospital care days and 8 continuous care days.

The Healing House Community Bereavement Center (CBC), a service of Hospice of the Valley, located at 425 East Moulton Street, continues to provide a vital service to the community. The Healing House provides a relaxed, secure environment where individuals can have a place to freely express their grief. One of the main purposes of the CBC is to provide free support groups for children, adolescents and adults. Approximately 29 children attend the grief support groups at The Healing House. In addition, there were 6 groups, 38 adults, 38 adolescents and 14 parents with children who utilized The Healing House during 2001.

Currently, there are seven support groups meeting at the CBC Healing House. There are educational programs and training seminars dealing with the complex emotional issues of grief available to the community. In addition, books, videotapes and pamphlets are available to the community. They can be checked-out or viewed at the resource library in The Healing House. Grief support was provided to the Hands Home throughout the year by the staff at The Healing House.

A Memorial Garden was developed with the help of local businesses and community volunteers. The Garden will serve as a healing garden for children, youth and adults using The Healing House in memory of loved ones who have died.

In 200l, Hospice of the Valley offered a Grief Support Program to the Morgan County School System. Thirty-eight children from four schools participated in the program. The program was a great success and will be offered again in 2002.

Camp Hope, a one-day bereavement camp, is held yearly to help children who have suffered a significant loss. The 2000 camp was successful and was host to 40 children and youth and 20 counselors and volunteers.

Diane Scanland, Marketing/Fund Development Coordinator
Hospice of the Valley