VITAS Innovative Hospice Care Of San Fernando Valley Opens Satellite Office In Camarillo To Serve All Of Ventura County

CAMARILLO, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(R) of San Fernando Valley has opened a satellite office in Camarillo to provide end-of-life care to residents throughout Ventura County. The office, located at 333 Lantana Street, Suite 110, hosted a celebratory grand opening reception last month.

VITAS, which has been serving southern California for more than a decade, has always been able to care for patients in Ventura County. The new Camarillo location, however, allows caregivers and community representatives from VITAS' San Fernando Valley program to commit to Ventura County patients and families on a full time basis.

"Many of our staff members live in Ventura County and have strong ties to the community. They are eager to begin working with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and residential care facilities to offer compassionate, innovative hospice care," explained Susie Fishenfeld, RN, CHPN, general manager of VITAS' San Fernando Valley program. "Our caregivers will make visits throughout the area to care for patients in their own home, whether it's a private residence, nursing home or a residential care facility for the elderly."

Recent research published by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization found that most Americans would prefer to receive end-of-life care at home and believe hospice professionals are the most knowledgeable in helping them to do so.

"Hospice care is provided in the home to better provide comfort, pain control and symptom management for a patient at the end of life," Fishenfeld explained.

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care provides compassionate palliative care that focuses on the medical, social and spiritual needs of patients and their families and has developed proprietary information technology called "Vx" to track the effectiveness of that care. VITAS offers faith-specific programs for spiritual care in addition to the traditionally nondenominational spiritual care of hospice. As the hospice industry leader, VITAS is committed to continually improving clinical care through advances in pain management, the interdisciplinary approach to providing hospice care and caregiver education.

Patients and families in the San Fernando Valley program can access VITAS staff day or night through a 24-hour call center at 1-800-757-4242.

About VITAS

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(R), a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is the nation's largest provider of end-of-life care. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS operates 25 hospice programs in eight states (California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin). VITAS, which has evolved from its founding as a volunteer organization by a United Methodist Minister and an oncology nurse, today employs 6,300 professionals who care for approximately 8,200 terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients' homes, but also in the company's 18 hospice inpatient units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities/residential care facilities for the elderly. The name, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs), is derived from the Latin word for lives. It symbolizes the VITAS mission: To preserve the quality of life for those who have a limited time to live.

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care

CONTACT: Mark Cohen, VP, Communications & Public Relations, of VITASHealthcare Corporation, +1-305-350-5905; or Deborah Adams, Account Supervisor,of Hill & Knowlton, +1-202-944-1903, for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care