Home Health & Hospice Week

Two hospice inpatient facilities close their doors.

Staffing shortages continue take a toll on hospice and home health agencies — and their patients.

In Hawaii: Pōhai Mālama Care Center, a 12-bed inpatient hospice facility in Hilo owned and operated by Hawai’i Care Choices, “will take a tactical pause on all inpatient hospice care operations” beginning on Nov. 18, it says in a release. The “deliberate break in operations will allow time for Hawai’i Care Choices to reassess the impact of continued underutilization and the growing cost of building repair and maintenance that is naturally occurring after ten years of usage,” the hospice says.

In Vermont: The University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network Home Health & Hospice is shutting down its programs that furnish 24/7 services to patients with mobility problems, personal care attendant services, and case management services, reports VTDigger.com. Severe staffing shortages make manning the programs impossible, the news site says.

In Alaska: Hospice and Home Care of Juneau shut down last month due to lack of registered nursing staff, reports the Juneau Empire. HHC is coordinating with a local hospital, in hopes it can take over some services, the news outlet says.

In Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center closed its In Touch Hospice House in Somerset in August, reports The Daily American newspaper. More patients used hospice services in their homes or in nursing homes, a spokesperson said.