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Lovejoy Hospice in Grants Pass to close at month's end Monday Jan 9, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Troy Shinn Grants Pass Daily Courier Ending 36 years of groundbreaking service in Grants Pass and Josephine County, Lovejoy Hospice has announced it will close at the end of the month. The hospice stopped accepting new patient referrals earlier this week, on Tuesday. The last official patient care date is Jan. 31. "This is not a decision that was entered into lightly," Steve Ware, president of the Lovejoy board of directors, said in a written statement. The hospice said its demise is part of a national trend that makes it difficult for independent hospices to compete against larger hospital systems such as Asante that offer a broader range of comprehensive care. Hospices provide care, usually in-home, for terminally ill patients, as well as advising the families of terminally ill patients. Lovejoy specifically cited as factors increasing regulatory and technological requirements, "uncertain levels" of Medicare reimbursements and a shortage of skilled nursing care in the region. "In considering all these facts, the Lovejoy Hospice Board of Directors found it impossible to imagine a successful future long-term," according to the statement. In an interview, Executive Director Deneen Silva told the Daily Courier that the heightened demand for nurses staff in the area, which has become a retirement destination for baby boomers, was a particular problem. "We're by no means the only ones struggling with this," Silva said. "I think there's such a volume of healthcare jobs opening between Jackson and Josephine counties that finding and hiring new skilled staff is a tremendous problem. "But it also takes a certain kind of person and passion to want to do hospice care work." While Lovejoy will continue to care for existing patients through this month, it is now in the process of transitioning resources and patients to other hospice care providers. Silva said the hospice will donate all remaining assets and funds to the Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association. A liquidation sale is expected in the spring, and the hospice's 13,000-square-foot office building on Southeast Eighth Street will go up for sale as well. Founded in 1981 originally as an all-volunteer organization, the hospice was named after Jean Lovejoy, founder of the local chapter of "Make Today Count," who died that year. The hospice's services included respite for caregivers and bereavement for survivors, including children, who can suffer from learning disabilities, anxiety and other grief issues. The organization's transitions program helped support clients not yet ready for hospice services. Lovejoy patients will be transferred to one of the other hospice services in the area, which locally include Asante and two Medford-based providers, Providence and Signature, at the end of the month. The hospice said it notified staff and volunteers of the closure on Tuesday, when it stopped accepting new patient referrals. The hospice had 45 employees and dozens of volunteers. Asante currently serves around 25 patients in Josephine County and will look at how to prepare for the increased caseload that will result from Lovejoy's closure, said Katie Adkisson, director of Asante's Hospice Care program. "We have a full team (in Grants Pass) that already operates in that area," Adkisson said. "I feel confident that we will be able to accommodate new referrals." Adkisson said the problems Lovejoy faced are not unique. The entire hospice care industry has seen more patients in the past few years as more people retire and require extra medical care from home. "It takes an incredible amount of resources to be able to keep up with all the regulations and reporting," Adkisson said. "Asante is fortunate to be a part of a larger healthcare system that helps us tackle those problems. I think that's one of the things that has helped us be successful." Adkisson said that Asante has enjoyed a healthy working relationship with Lovejoy over the years, and she is sorry to see it go. "It's always sad to see any local hospice service unable to continue helping patients, but Lovejoy has had a lot of great community support for many many years," Adkisson said. While Silva says that Lovejoy obviously wishes it could continue to serve the community, she has an optimistic outlook. "It's a very sad day for us here," Silva said. "But we are doing this with integrity and on good terms." Reach reporter Troy Shinn at 541-474-3806 or [email protected]