Arbor Hospice Urges End-of-Year Contributions to Benefit Patient and Family Programming

Posted: December 15, 2011

The Arbor Hospice Foundation has issued an appeal for end-of-year contributions to benefit nonprofit Arbor Hospice’s patient and family programming in southeast Michigan, and is urging donors to take advantage of the state income tax deduction for charitable contributions before the credit expires at midnight on Dec. 31.

 “Because the reimbursements received from insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid are not adequate to provide for all of the services that a family needs, The Arbor Hospice Foundation raises funds to fill the gap that exists between reimbursement and cost of service,” said Heidi Grix, vice president of development and executive director of The Arbor Hospice Foundation. “We urge those considering a contribution to Arbor Hospice to do so before the year’s end to help The Arbor Hospice Foundation raise vital funds to provide patient and family hospice services in the New Year.”
 
The Arbor Hospice Foundation raises funds for four areas of programming in order to deliver high quality hospice care:
  • Pediatric Hospice Services – Care for our pediatric patients and their families is more expensive to deliver than care to adult patients and families. This is due to higher medication costs, specially sized medical equipment and more complicated emotional needs on the part of the family. Arbor Hospice cares for an average of 24 pediatric patients each year.
  • Grief Support Services – While all Medicare-certified hospices are required to provide grief support services for 13 months following the death of a loved one, reimbursements by Medicare and Medicaid end when the patient dies. Arbor Hospice provides a comprehensive grief support program for 13 months, and sometimes longer, regardless of whether the family member received care from Arbor Hospice. All grief support services are solely funded by philanthropy, and offer a continuum of individual and group services for children, adults and families to anyone in the community.
  • Uncompensated and Charity Care – This is provided to people eligible for Medicaid or other insurance either in The Residence of Arbor Hospice, their own homes or other residential locations where the cost for care is not fully covered by the insurance reimbursement. It is also care provided to families without insurance or the ability to pay for services on their own.
  • Complementary Therapies – Services to patients that provides music and massage therapies as well as pet therapy, wherever the patients call “home.” These therapies help to alleviate pain and manage symptoms. 
This year, Arbor Hospice will spend $990,000 on care to patients that don’t have insurance or whose care is not fully covered by their insurance reimbursement, as well as more than $300,000 to provide grief support services to families following the death of a loved one. More than $125,000 will be provided in support to pediatric hospice patients and their families and complementary therapies. 
 
Consider what your gift can provide:
·         $20 – Food for one hospice patient for one day in our inpatient unit
·         $75 – Seven days of pain medication for a terminally ill patient
·         $100 – One half the cost of a children’s grief support group therapy session
·         $120 – One day of complete hospice care for a patient in their own home
·         $250 – Eight hours of grief support services for a family
·         $700 – Average cost for one day of hospice care per patient in Arbor Hospice’s inpatient unit.

For more information or to make a contribution The Arbor Hospice Foundation call (734) 794-5338 or visit www.arborhospice.org.
 
About Arbor Hospice and The Arbor Hospice Foundation
Since 1984 Arbor Hospice has been committed to providing quality, compassionate care for those experiencing life-limiting illnesses. Arbor Hospice, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, is integrated into the community with the help of its experienced staff and caring volunteers through its certified hospice services, inpatient hospice facility, grief support services and community education programs. Arbor Hospice serves communities in Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, with offices in Ann Arbor, Monroe, Plymouth and Woodhaven.
 
The Arbor Hospice Foundation provides philanthropic support for programs and services to more than 9,000 individuals including patients, their families and community members served by Arbor Hospice.
 
 
 

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