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MHP Hospice Serenity House From Dream to Reality With the overwhelming support of businesses and individuals, Mahaska Health Partnership opened the Hospice Serenity House in July of 2010 for hospice patients and their families. In less than a year since opening, more than 60 patients have utilized this amazing facility.
The Serenity House has six private patient rooms with a private bathroom and family area that features seating, television and pullout bed. The spacious patient rooms each feature French doors, allowing the sun to stream in and providing access to shaded patios that overlook a serene wooded area.
Mahaska Hospice and Keokuk County Hospice, both services of MHP, have each been providing end-of-life care to patients and their families for more than 25 years. Their mission is to improve the quality of a patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity. While most hospice services are provided in the home, there are times when residential hospice services are needed. Before the Serenity House, patients and their families had to travel to get that service.
Families have use of a large common living room, kitchen and dining areas, as well as laundry facilities. There is a children’s play area, and a chapel/library. To provide privacy and convenience, there is also a shower and restroom facilities for families off a private hallway near the kitchen. Another exciting feature is geothermal climate control, which provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way for utilities to run.
MHP fostered the dream of a hospice house in Oskaloosa for more than five years. Even in the middle of a difficult economy, the Serenity House Capital Campaign raised more than $2.7 million and had more than 550 donors. Special thanks must be extended to Diane Crookham-Johnson, Linda Crookham-Hansen and Beth Crookham, who made a generous donation in memory of their beloved grandfather, K.C. DeBooy, and in honor of their grandmother, Cathern DeBooy. Other Lead Donors to the Serenity House were the George Daily Family Trust, which provided a match to donations made in a specific time period, and the estate of Edna Scheuermann. Pace Setter Donors were the Mahaska Hospice Advisory Board, McWane, Inc./Clow Valve Company, Musco Team, Friends of Keokuk County Hospice and Mahaska Bottling Company.
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At the Serenity House, patients are surrounded by caring and professionally-trained hospice staff and volunteers dedicated to meeting their unique needs. Staff members are educated in providing end-of-life care to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of these unique patients and their families. Volunteers play a vital role in providing personalized care at the Serenity House. They bake cookies and make coffee, similar to the way you host guests in your home, in addition to answering phones and providing light housekeeping. There are currently more than 60 community members volunteering at the Serenity House, and people are always welcome. The MHP Hospice Serenity House is truly a community asset that will meet the unique needs of hospice patients and their families for generations to come.