Buisness Briefs: Hospice of Chattanooga earns top accreditation

Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)

Feb. 25--Hospice of Chattanooga earns top accreditation

Hospice of Chattanooga has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for Home Care Accreditation.

The top accreditation is based upon an onsite compliance review of every area, including the provision of care, treatment and services, emergency management, human resources, individual rights and responsibilities, and leadership. More than 6,000 home care programs currently maintain accreditation, awarded for a three-year period, from The Joint Commission.

"We are proud and excited, yet humbled to have our hospice care team receive such a public approval" said Tracy Wood, the agency's new CEO. "More than anything, this accreditation gives comfort to families that when they choose Hospice of Chattanooga, the care their loved one receives will be of the highest quality."

With 250 employees, the non-profit Hospice of Chattanooga is the largest hospice in the area and provides an array of palliative and hospice care services to those with life-limiting illnesses in the 18 counties in and around Chattanooga.

New-home sales rise as market improves

Americans bought more new homes in January after a steep fall-off the previous month, a sign the housing market is healthy despite higher mortgage rates.

The Commerce Department said new home sales rose 3.7 percent to a seasonally-adjusted 555,000 units. That is 5.5 percent higher than a year ago.

Solid job gains and some signs of rising wages have driven up consumer confidence, which also has risen since the presidential election. More confident consumers are more likely to buy homes. Sales of existing homes jumped to their highest level in a decade, according to data released earlier this week.

The rebound has occurred despite, or perhaps because of, a jump in mortgage rates since the fall. Many buyers could be accelerating purchases to get ahead of any further rate increases.

Construction could start by April on border fence

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday it plans to start awarding contracts by mid-April for President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, signaling he is aggressively pursuing plans to erect "a great wall" along the 2,000-mile border.

The agency said it will request bids on or around March 6 and that companies would have to submit "concept papers" to design and build prototypes by March 10, according to a website for federal contractors. The field of candidates will be narrowed by March 20 and finalists must submit offers with their proposed costs by March 24.

The president told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that construction will start "very soon" and is "way, way, way ahead of schedule."

The agency's notice gave no details on where the wall would be built first and how many miles would be covered initially. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has sought employees' opinions during border tours of California, Arizona and Texas.

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