Community Care eyeing Ohio Hospice affiliation

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Community Care Hospice has announced plans to become an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, joining Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, Hospice of Central Ohio, Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County and Ohio’s Hospice of Butler & Warren Counties in a strategic partnership committed to sustaining not-for-profit, community-based hospice care in Ohio.

Patti Settlemyre, president and CEO of Community Care Hospice, said the move was made to help maintain the non-profit organization’s stability.

“With this many non-profits working together we feel like we can do a better job of caring for end-of-life patients,” Settlemyre said.

Community Care Hospice, based in Wilmington, is a not-for-profit hospice founded in 2004 that serves 10 counties – Clinton, Highland, Greene, Fayette, Ross, Pike, Adams, Clermont, Brown and Warren. But Settlemyre said the vast majority of Community Care’s patients come from Highland and Clinton counties.

In 2014, more than 300 patients and families received care from Community Care, which has 36 employees.

Settlemyre said she is excited by the opportunities Ohio’s Hospice offers not-for-profit providers.

“I feel the timing is right to join this affiliation to ensure that the patients we serve with life-limiting illnesses in our communities get the best possible care,” she said. “Our mission is to provide superior quality hospice care to the patients and families in our communities, regardless of their ability to pay. That will not change. Any donations, memorial gifts, and fundraising dollars will stay here in the communities we serve.”

By working as a group, Settlemyre said, the hospice organizations can save administrative costs, generate additional buying power, and reduce the cost of supplies including medication. She said the move will also allow Community Care to offer massage therapy, music therapy, continuing education credits and more.

Settlemyre said Community Care was established in 2004, “Because we wanted a community-based organization that could better support the communities where we all live and to provide the best end-of-life care to people in our communities.”

In the 11 years since it was founded, Community Care has served more than 2,500 patients, including pediatric patients, Settlemyre said.

Typically, Settlemyre said, patients are referred to Community Care through hospitals, nursing homes or a physician, when the patient has a life limiting illness believed to leave them with less than six months to survive. She said a physician has to order a referral for Medicare to pay benefits.

“We’re here to help the family take care of the patient so they can be at home at the end of life,” Settlemyre said.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Settlemyre
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/12/web1_Settlemyre-mug.jpgSettlemyre
Most patients come from Highland, Clinton counties

By Jeff Gilliland

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