Unique Facility Designed for the Comfort of Hospice Patients and Thei...( VNA's Hospice of Philadelphia Opens...),Health

VNA's Hospice of Philadelphia Opens Free-Standing Inpatient Unit

PHILADELPHIA, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Peaceful. Calm. Serene. These are the adjectives Hospice of Philadelphia considered when it developed its new free-standing inpatient hospice unit. Caring for a hospice patient in their own home is ideal, but is not always possible. Typically, patients requiring acute care must go to a hospital. The new hospice unit provides patients and their families an innovative alternative.

Hospice of Philadelphia is a service of The Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia (VNA) and provides hospice care to patients in residential, inpatient and nursing home settings.

The new 10,500-square-foot space located in Falls Center, site of the former Medical College of Pennsylvania, provides a cozy, home-like experience for hospice patients and their families. The inpatient unit has 14 fully furnished, private patient rooms. Each room includes private bath facilities and all are spacious enough to welcome visiting family and friends.

In consideration of visiting family members, the unit also includes a family-centered great room equipped with a flat screen TV and a peaceful indoor waterfall. Family members can also enjoy the use of a full kitchen and dining area as well as a "quiet room" when a family's privacy is needed.

There is no such thing as a typical hospice patient. These patients cover a wide spectrum of ages and medical conditions. However, patients of the inpatient unit do have one thing in common, their condition requires more intense medical attention than what can be provided at home.

"Our unit directly meets the needs of hospice patients requiring acute inpatient care," says Stephen Holt, president and CEO of VNA. "This is a difficult time for patients and their families, and the unit allows us to provide quality car
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