ATLANTA, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an effort to enhance the depth and scope of end-of-life care services in the Atlanta metropolitan area and throughout the Emory healthcare system, VistaCare and Emory Healthcare have signed a number of service agreements, including an agreement to develop a new, $1.8 million, 25-bed hospice inpatient unit at Budd Terrace (a skilled nursing facility located on Emory Healthcare’s Wesley Woods Center campus). The VistaCare Center at Wesley Woods is scheduled to open its doors to patients in January.
The agreements will enable VistaCare to provide hospice services in a variety of settings and capacities. VistaCare will be available to serve hospice eligible patients in Emory Crawford Long Hospital, Emory University Hospital, and Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital, as well as residents living in Budd Terrace.
According to VistaCare officials, what makes this center special is its focus on “open access,” its location, and its commitment to the community. In 2004, only 40 percent of eligible patients in the Atlanta metropolitan area received hospice care. “When you look at the region, the need for additional hospice and palliative care resources -- especially in the inpatient setting -- is clear,” said David Elliot, President and Chief Operating Officer for VistaCare. “We’re especially honored to have the opportunity to work with an organization of Emory Healthcare’s caliber and reputation in providing this much needed resource.”
“We have come to recognize the value and importance of hospice and palliative care for our patients and residents,” said Peter Basler, Chief Operating Officer, Wesley Woods. “These agreements reflect our shared interest in addressing the end-of-life care needs of our region, and VistaCare’s Open Access philosophy will greatly enhance the hospice services available to eligible patients and facilitate access to the care they need.” Debbie Gunter, RN, FNP, ACHPN, Director of Clinical Services for the VistaCare Center at Wesley Woods, added that the center has been designed to serve as a place of comfort where terminally ill patients can find around-the-clock nursing care and where their families can find a home-like atmosphere that will provide reassurance and support.
VistaCare representatives will continue to work with members of the healthcare community to identify patients who could benefit from the services of an inpatient hospice program. These include patients who need specialized pain, symptom, or wound management; families overwhelmed by their caregiving responsibilities; and patients who need assistance with transition from the hospital to a home or long-term care setting.
VistaCare is the largest provider of hospice services in Georgia, with programs in 10 communities serving more than 80 percent of the state’s population. VistaCare also operates programs in 13 other states.
“This collaboration makes good clinical sense,” said Dr. Jeff Lesesne, assistant professor, Division of Geriatrics, Emory University School of Medicine. “When I consider the needs of our community and the ways in which we can make a substantive difference in the lives we touch, I am confident that this is the right thing to do.”
About Emory Healthcare
Emory Healthcare is the clinical arm of Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center. As the largest, most comprehensive health care system in Georgia, Emory Healthcare includes The Emory Clinic, Emory Children’s Center, Emory University Hospital, Emory Crawford Long Hospital, Wesley Woods Center of Emory University, the jointly owned Emory-Adventist Hospital, and EHCA, LLC, a limited liability company created in collaboration with HCA-The healthcare Company.
About Vistacare
Founded in 1995, VistaCare has built a national reputation for excellence and compassion in end-of-life care. VistaCare is one of the country’s leading hospice providers, caring for thousands of patients and families each day throughout programs in 14 states, including 10 locations throughout Georgia. VistaCare believes in providing care wherever a patient calls home -- whether it’s a personal residence, nursing home, assisted living community, hospital, or other residence of choice -- and VistaCare prides itself on an “open access” philosophy of care that provides exceptional end-of-life care to all eligible patients, without exception.
Company Contact: Investor Contacts: Media Contacts: Rick Slager Doug Sherk Steve DiMattia Chairman and CEO Jennifer Beugelmans EVC Group 480-648-4545 EVC Group 415-896-6820 ir@vistacare.com 415-896-6820 sdimattia@evcgroup.comdsherk@evcgroup.com
VistaCare, Inc.
CONTACT: Rick Slager, Chairman and CEO of VistaCare, +1-480-648-4545,ir@vistacare.com; or Investors, Doug Sherk, dsherk@evcgroup.com, orJennifer Beugelmans, both of EVC Group, +1-415-896-6820, for VistaCare,Inc., or Media, Steve DiMattia of EVC Group, +1-415-896-6820, orsdimattia@evcgroup.com, for VistaCare, Inc.
Web site: http://www.vistacare.com/