New inpatient center for hospice patients to open soon in Mishawaka

Nov. 22--MISHAWAKA -- A new 12-bed inpatient center is expected to open early next year at the Center for Hospice Care's Mishawaka campus.

The 17,000-square-foot facility, called the Ernestine M. Raclin House, is built on Comfort Drive just east of the organization's current buildings along the St. Joseph River east of Central Park. The facility should begin accepting hospice patients early in 2020, according to Mike Wargo, vice president and chief operating officer for the Hospice Foundation.

While construction crews put finishing touches on what officials describe as a "classic contemporary Craftsman-style" facility, Wargo said the center is the culmination of a five-year fundraising campaign.

Donors, staff and agency officials dedicated the new center earlier this week.

The 12-bed facility will replace the current seven-bed Hospice House inpatient center the agency has operated for the past 23 years in Roseland. Wargo said once the new center opens, Roseland patients and staff will be transferred to Mishawaka.

The Roseland Hospice House will be converted into the new home of the center's Milton Adult Day Services, serving people with dementia.

The center also runs a similar seven-bed Hospice House at the eastern end of Elkhart County that will remain open.

Hospice care involves medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support for patients and their families when a patient faces a terminal illness.

All 12 rooms at the new Hospice House face the St. Joseph River. Wargo said patios and common areas were designed to allow patients and family members to take in the river setting.

Patients who will make use of the center fall into several categories. Wargo said people discharged from hospitals can be admitted if the patient's condition prevents them from going home.

Others admitted to the center can be people who are having acute medical issues. Wargo said often these inpatients may be stabilized over the course of a several-day stay.

The center also offers primary caregivers of hospice patients respite. Patients can be admitted if caregivers are going out of town or need a break.

Wargo said the average stay for admitted patients to the inpatient center is 5 1/2 days, and all will have the full array of hospice services offered there.

National statistics provided by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for 2018 show that while 80% of Medicare hospice patients die at home (48.2%) or in a nursing facility (31.8%), only 11.2% die in inpatient hospice facilities.

About 86% of annual revenue from the nonprofit Center for Hospice Care comes from Medicare through the hospice benefit, with 1% from Medicaid. Private insurance accounts for 6%, while fundraising fills in the remaining 6%, Wargo said.

Features in the new center are designed to accommodate the patients and families. A large common area houses a large kitchen with two refrigerators and two large living spaces that can handle multiple families of patients.

A four-season room on the west side of the building will have furnishings that resemble a patio and the view will offer people a vista of the park and river.

Rooms for teens, for children and even for a future therapy dog are planned.

"The setting here is so unique," Wargo said. "We have large living spaces. This (facility) provides spaces for all to feel comfortable."

The Center for Hospice Care has scheduled a public open house at the Ernestine M. Raclin House from 4-6 p.m. Dec. 3.

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