FALL 2020
Hospice House Marks Ten Years of Service stay for as long as desired. To make this possible, day beds and storage space are standard in every patient room. A laundry facility is also available for guests to wash their personal items. A sanctuary and private meeting room complete the Whatcom Hospice House.
September 16th marked the tenth anniversary of the day our first patients arrived at Whatcom Hospice House. Since then, more than 3600 patients and their families have been served at the beautiful, homelike facility. We are profoundly grateful to the many generous donors who have made it possible for us to build and sustain the Hospice House. Prior to the opening of Hospice House, the Whatcom Hospice team cared for people only in their own homes or living facilities. For most of our patients, home is still the best and preferred place to receive care. For some patients, however, the warm and comfortable setting of Whatcom Hospice House is the perfect place to be at the end of life. Leaving the 24-hour caregiving and symptom management in the hands of skilled and caring professionals is a way for families to relax and meaningfully connect during their remaining precious time together. Located at 2806 Douglas Avenue in Bellingham in a peaceful wooded setting, the hospice house contains
12 comfortably decorated suites with private bathrooms and patios. Every patient room features a fully electric bed, call system, television and DVD player, recliner, ceiling mounted patient lift to facilitate safe transfers from chair to bed, individually climate-controlled rooms, mini-fridge and wheelchair accessible private bath. Extra wide doors between the patient room and the private patio allow for the bed or recliner to be moved outside at the patient’s request. Although Hospice House visitation is currently restricted to two visitors per person per day due to the COVID-19 pandemic, under normal circumstances loved ones are encouraged to visit or
Today, ongoing contributions provide families with 5 days of free room and board at Hospice House so they can acclimate to the end-of-life experience with lessened financial stress. Thanks to you, patients who are struggling with pain or troubling symptoms have access to alternative therapies like acupuncture and massage, and to palliative medical treatments not covered by insurance. If a patient has no insurance or cannot afford their co-pay, your generosity enables us to simply say, “Please don’t worry – we have it covered.” Thank you once again for making this possible! IN THIS ISSUE: YOUR GIFTS AT WORK: FY20 ANNUAL REPORT