Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the South Suburbs: 2003 – 2004

New Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the South Suburbs opens and is greeted with a warm welcome from the community.

Washington Square Health Foundation gives Program Related Investments (PRIs), or low interest loans, for special projects that may require substantially more money than our typical grants, or for situations that might fall outside of our regular grant guidelines. Construction, and land acquisition are two examples of situations that would call for a Program Related Investment.

Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore, until this past year, served only the north side of Chicago and northern Cook and Lake Counties. In that area, each year, PCCHNS cares for more than 4,000 patients and families in all its programs. Its hospice program gives terminally ill patients the option of dying at home, surrounded by family, free from pain, with peace of mind, and provides support to their loved ones. Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore was the recipient of a PRI this fiscal year to expand their services to the southern suburbs. Opening Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the South Suburbs, as a division of PCCHNS, fills a real, and growing need that exists in the southern suburbs in terms of the availability of Medicare-licensed hospice services for terminally ill patients and their families.

As well as the PRI secured through Washington Square Health Foundation, Palliative care raised substantial funds within the new community in which they serve. They have also partnered with the Flossmoor-based BraveHeart Volunteer Support Teams, which is now able to provide their clients with the end-of-life medical attention and pain control that their clients need outside of counseling and support services. The responsiveness of the community in the south suburbs and the history of success that PCCHNS has had in the northern suburbs has helped to make the transition to the new location run smoothly. The doors have opened to the new site, and services are now being provided