November 9, 2022

Community HealthCare and Hospice, the home health and hospice agency at Community Hospital is celebrating National Home Care and Hospice month in November. The agency employs 13 nurses, 4 aides and office support staff, in addition to rehabilitation staff, social workers, chaplains and volunteers, who support home health and hospice patients 24/7, 365 days a year.

Barbie Long, Community HealthCare and Hospice director, explains that her nurses and staff provide home health and hospice services in 7 Nebraska counties. In addition, a new service, palliative care, is now offered by the agency.

“As director of Community Healthcare and Hospice, it has been a privilege and an honor to lead such a fantastic and dynamic team,” Long said. “I am constantly awestruck by each and every team member’s dedication, advocacy, and compassion for their patients. Home health and hospice care is a critical support for patients and their families. As we are all aware, the pandemic has been quite straining on the healthcare worker. Through it all this agency’s staff has persevered and overcome many obstacles to care for Southwest Nebraska patients in their homes and we will continue to do so.”  

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. This is where home care and hospice come in. As the preferred choice for most patients, it also offers the greatest cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Meanwhile, home care costs less than $100 a day and helps many U.S. seniors remain independent at home, enrich their lives, and keep in touch with those they love.