VITAS® Healthcare Continues to Grow Hospice Services Across Florida

MIAMI, June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAS^® Healthcare, the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care, was awarded two certificates of need (CON) in Florida by the state's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to develop a new hospice program spanning Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties and a new 16-bed, freestanding inpatient unit (IPU) in southwest Miami-Dade County.

VITAS is proud to expand its services in South Florida and the Treasure Coast, and to provide its unique hospice services to patients and their families. In addition to the highest quality of care, VITAS is committed to providing innovative care at the bedside for patients and services that will enrich the Treasure Coast communities, including:

• Supporting Underprivileged Groups: End-of-life education and support for community residents experiencing homelessness, food insecurity and limited access to healthcare.
• Research: Clinical research, support and tools for caregivers and patients with Alzheimer's and dementia.
• Veteran Support: In addition to the robust veteran services VITAS provides hospice patients, VITAS will offer patients the opportunity to participate in "flightless" Honor Flight Network trips using virtual reality.
• Hospice Education Grant: Monetary donations to a local college, university or training facility to provide scholarships, fellowships or other education to medical students, nurses, nursing aides or other healthcare workers focused on hospice and end-of-life care.

"There is a growing demand for high quality, compassionate care in these communities, and we are honored to be part of them," said Nick Westfall, President and CEO of VITAS Healthcare. "We look forward to providing patients and their families with the highest quality of end-of-life care and playing an integral role in the continuum of care for southern Florida."

The second VITAS CON will establish a 16-bed freestanding inpatient hospice unit in Miami-Dade County, providing choice and access for hospice-eligible patients whose symptoms have become unmanageable in their home-care setting.

"Today, hospice patients and their families in southwest Miami who require inpatient hospice services are sometimes forced to travel long distances in congested traffic for care at an already difficult time in their lives," said Westfall. "The new IPU will allow our patients to receive the unique care they require without the unnecessary delays and stress from commuting across the city."

VITAS is hiring
Healthcare professionals with a background in clinical care and sales are invited to VITAS' upcoming job fair in Port St. Lucie on Saturday, June 8, 2019 from 10AM – 3PM at Homewood Suites by Hilton, 10301 SW Innovation Way, Port St. Lucie, FL 34987. On-the-spot interviews will be available, and same-day offers are possible. For more information, call 305-350-5945 or VITAS.jobs.

For more information about VITAS and end-of-life care, please visit VITAS.com.

VITAS Healthcare – 40 Years Strong
Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 47 hospice programs in 14 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,123 professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 27 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2019, VITAS reported an average daily census of 18,559. Visit www.vitas.com.

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SOURCE VITAS Healthcare