The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Donations funding Hospice WR expansion
Hospice of the Western Reserve recently announced plans to launch a $3.25 million technologically advanced Care Solutions Center which aims to dramatically expand access to hospice and palliative care within the nonprofit agency’s 10-county Northern Ohio service area.
The new center is funded through a leadership gift of $2 million from the James and Angela Hambrick Foundation along with matching grants from the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation and the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation.
The money covers all information technology costs, construction costs and program development costs.
“We are relocating people, computer switches, fiber optic cable and the entire infrastructure necessary for such an advanced service center,” said Hospice President and CEO Bill Finn. “The project has been in development for two years. Once the planning stage was completed, our development team reached out to potential donors.
“James and Angela Hambrick — longtime ambassadors for our mission in the community — stepped forward.”
The 4,000-square-foot facility will be located at Hospice of the Western Reserve’s headquarters at 17876 St. Clair Ave. in Cleveland and employ 48 people, including current employees who join the Care Service Center Team.
“The location is ideal for a 24/7 care service center and will assure our staff is able to be present when our patients and families call for help, night or day,” Finn said. “We have more staff in the community every day than any hospice in Northern Ohio.”
The Cares Solutions Center will serve Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties, with outreach into Stark and Wayne counties.
“We are so grateful to James and Angela Hambrick for their vision and their support,” said Laura Rayburn, president of the Hospice of the Western Reserve Foundation. “Their gift not only allowed us to immediately begin the construction and implementation of this transformational project, it also made it possible for us to raise the full amount required to bring the Care Solutions Center into operation.
“We are deeply appreciative to all three foundations for their ongoing generous support of our mission in the community.”
Hambrick, who previously serves as a Hospice board member, said he and his wife have seen firsthand the “life-changing impact” of Hospice of the Western Reserve’s care for patients and families.
“We are honored that our gift will play a key role in helping more families quickly and easily access the quality care everyone deserves through the advanced capabilities of this innovative Care Solutions Center,” he added.
Construction and buildout on the center is currently underway, with hiring, training and system testing occurring throughout the year.
The Care Solutions Center is expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2022.
“With the significant growth we have experienced, the advanced technology built into this system will allow us to function at maximum efficiency and innovate how we respond to inquiries and deploy caregivers,” Finn said. “Families will benefit from immediate access to knowledgeable hospice experts and timely visits during one of the most stressful times in their lives. It will truly become the heartbeat of the agency.”
According to the nonprofit, the demand for hospice care in Northeast Ohio has increased dramatically in the last 15 years, while the daily reimbursement rate for hospice care is decreasing.
The new technology will play an essential role in allowing Hospice to expand access to all of the services it offers, including hospice care, the Western Reserve Navigator palliative care program, pediatric hospice and palliative care and community-wide bereavement support.
In addition, the new center will eliminate administrative tasks and improve response time. Agents will have everything at their fingertips to handle questions and care requests.
Increased connectivity will mean Hospice providers can coordinate, dispatch clinicians and problem-solve faster than ever.
Physicians and community referral sources will be able to offer their patients faster enrollments.
The system will automatically perform patient check-in calls and alert staff when follow up is needed, the agency confirmed. Preprogrammed surveys will collect and compile realtime feedback on caller satisfaction. Ongoing reporting and data analysis will identify areas for future improvement.
“Our organization started in Lake County, and we have always nurtured and celebrated our relationship with the community,” Finn said “For over 40 years, we have been with Lake County residents during such an important time in their lives. We are grateful for the trust and opportunity to serve over 7,000 patients and families a year.
“The Care Solutions Center will be a resource that drives partnerships, joint ventures and collaborations between Hospice of the Western Reserve and other nonprofit hospices throughout Ohio,” he added. “Ultimately, it may become a service we offer other area hospices to help them improve access to care and efficiency within their service areas.”