If You Go
• What: Open house for Monroe Clinic Hospice Home
• When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
• Where: N3252 County N, Monroe
• Shuttle: Attendees are encouraged to use the free shuttle running continuously from the northwest corner of the Wal-Mart parking lot to the facility due to limited parking spaces.
MONROE - Setting out to fulfill a need for area hospice care, Monroe Clinic recently constructed an eight-suite facility along County N to accommodate residents looking for a comfortable alternative close to home.
The idea has been well-received by the public but especially championed by hospice workers employed by Monroe Clinic, noted Director of Marketing Patricia Lawson.
"The hospice team has been advocating for this," Lawson said. "They really felt there was a need for a hospice facility. And this gives people the opportunity to be just family; to be the daughter or be the spouse and let the staff be the caregivers."
The facility, which broke ground in September, will employ two certified nursing assistants for 24 hours a day. Lisa Schweitzer, director of Monroe Clinic Home Care and Hospice, noted that all CNAs had to receive an additional 100 hours of training to be certified in medication administration.
The hospice home was built on land originally covered by the woods of Pleasant View Park, notable by the continuing existence of tall trees surrounding the one-story building.
Each room has a private bath, adaptable technology and furniture for family members, and allows for beds to be placed just outside a door leading onto a patio. The modest outdoor space allows for a view of the woods and the variety of wildlife within them.
A great room with large windows allows in sunlight for those looking to relax on a couch while other living spaces exist to accommodate children and families. A meditation room allows people space to reflect. A spa-like atmosphere allows for bathing or showering to be accessible regardless of a person's capabilities.
Dubbed a conference room, Schweitzer said a large area with kitchen space, a table to fit roughly 10 and a mounted television with adaptable technology could be used for family gatherings or consultations with doctors. The enclosed gathering room down the hall includes a small table and tiny chairs with living room furniture for people to gather outside of a patient's room.
Fundraising for the $2.825 million project began in April 2016. Tracey Pederson, director of Monroe Clinic & Hospital Foundation, said public support has been largely positive. While some funds still need to be collected to provide the facility with outdoor furniture and other finishing touches. There is also an agreement between Monroe Clinic and Green County stipulating the organization maintain surrounding park trails.
Schweitzer said calls have already been made to the main campus hospice department of Monroe Clinic from people interested in the new facility. There are existing hospice patients as well. The residential home was built to provide comfort away from conventional health care settings.
"We want to make it homey," Schweitzer said. "It's an important distinction. It's like they're in their home, but this is their new home."
She added that the facility can assist families in conducting "tough discussions" about life and death, and encourage the perspective of living. Lawson said removing some of the discomfort with dying and striving for all to "live every life to the fullest" is an important goal.
Pederson said the facility will be funded much like a traditional nursing home in which the care is covered by insurance but room and board are not. Schweitzer said patients need to be eligible for hospice benefits and conduct a discussion about their needs before they are moved into the facility. Regardless of cost, the group said they want to find a way for people in need to access care.
"We don't turn someone away because of their inability to pay," Pederson said.
Monroe Clinic's Hospice Home is set to officially open Tuesday. An open house for the public to view the facility is scheduled for Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The idea has been well-received by the public but especially championed by hospice workers employed by Monroe Clinic, noted Director of Marketing Patricia Lawson.
"The hospice team has been advocating for this," Lawson said. "They really felt there was a need for a hospice facility. And this gives people the opportunity to be just family; to be the daughter or be the spouse and let the staff be the caregivers."
The facility, which broke ground in September, will employ two certified nursing assistants for 24 hours a day. Lisa Schweitzer, director of Monroe Clinic Home Care and Hospice, noted that all CNAs had to receive an additional 100 hours of training to be certified in medication administration.
The hospice home was built on land originally covered by the woods of Pleasant View Park, notable by the continuing existence of tall trees surrounding the one-story building.
Each room has a private bath, adaptable technology and furniture for family members, and allows for beds to be placed just outside a door leading onto a patio. The modest outdoor space allows for a view of the woods and the variety of wildlife within them.
A great room with large windows allows in sunlight for those looking to relax on a couch while other living spaces exist to accommodate children and families. A meditation room allows people space to reflect. A spa-like atmosphere allows for bathing or showering to be accessible regardless of a person's capabilities.
Dubbed a conference room, Schweitzer said a large area with kitchen space, a table to fit roughly 10 and a mounted television with adaptable technology could be used for family gatherings or consultations with doctors. The enclosed gathering room down the hall includes a small table and tiny chairs with living room furniture for people to gather outside of a patient's room.
Fundraising for the $2.825 million project began in April 2016. Tracey Pederson, director of Monroe Clinic & Hospital Foundation, said public support has been largely positive. While some funds still need to be collected to provide the facility with outdoor furniture and other finishing touches. There is also an agreement between Monroe Clinic and Green County stipulating the organization maintain surrounding park trails.
Schweitzer said calls have already been made to the main campus hospice department of Monroe Clinic from people interested in the new facility. There are existing hospice patients as well. The residential home was built to provide comfort away from conventional health care settings.
"We want to make it homey," Schweitzer said. "It's an important distinction. It's like they're in their home, but this is their new home."
She added that the facility can assist families in conducting "tough discussions" about life and death, and encourage the perspective of living. Lawson said removing some of the discomfort with dying and striving for all to "live every life to the fullest" is an important goal.
Pederson said the facility will be funded much like a traditional nursing home in which the care is covered by insurance but room and board are not. Schweitzer said patients need to be eligible for hospice benefits and conduct a discussion about their needs before they are moved into the facility. Regardless of cost, the group said they want to find a way for people in need to access care.
"We don't turn someone away because of their inability to pay," Pederson said.
Monroe Clinic's Hospice Home is set to officially open Tuesday. An open house for the public to view the facility is scheduled for Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.