First pop-up hospice dedicated solely to coronavirus cases just opened in Louisiana
Louisiana’s largest hospice is stepping in to aid state healthcare providers and facilities overwhelmed by the influx of patients suffering and dying from complications of COVID-19.
Heart of Hospice, which services 1,000 patients across the Pelican State, has partnered with East Jefferson Hospital and BridgePoint Continuing Care Hospital to launch a temporary inpatient unit, or IPU, for coronavirus positive-patients who are eligible for hospice care, according to a press release. The setup is also open to those with presumptive cases of the disease.
The unit will be housed in a separate wing of East Jefferson Hospital and is the first pop-up hospice center in the U.S., a Heart of Hospice spokesperson told McClatchy News.
Through its partnership, the organization said it hopes to bridge the gap between patients’ needs and hospital capacity in the greater New Orleans area.
“The IPU helps us fulfill our vision of transforming end-of-life care in our communities by allowing us to care for hospice-eligible, COVID-19 positive patients and PUIs in a safe, comfortable place,” CEO Carla Davis said in a statement. “Our talented and dedicated care teams, along with the support from our parent company Evening Post Industries and the CARES Act, make Heart of Hospice uniquely equipped to serve these patients who desperately need us, helping to ensure they maintain dignity and support.”
The facility is currently accepting patients and welcomes all who are eligible, regardless of their ability to pay, the hospice organization says. Those who would rather spend their final days at home rather than in the IPU may do so and will continue to receive Heart of Hospice services and care.
The unit also allows visitors who will be provided masks and other protective equipment while they keep their loved ones company, the press release states.
Heart of Hospice operates across five states, including Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina, and is powered by a team of health care professionals and volunteers who jumped at the chance to help at the new pop-up in New Orleans.
“The most important part of the mission was to give excellent care to people at the end of life because that’s what they deserve,” Davis said through tears. “So we asked our staff across all of Heart of Hospice if they would be interested in volunteering ... and so many people raised their hands. Literally from all over.”
The state officially approved the partnership on April 6, clearing the facility to get up and running in just eight days, according to Davis. The approval process typically takes about one to two years, she explained.
“No one has even ‘popped up’ an inpatient unit,” Davis said in a personal video. “Normally when you decide to develop an IPU, you have to go through regulatory approval, you have to go through securing a space ... equipment, all of these things.”
The CEO said they now have all hands on deck, from nurses and physicians to social workers and bereavement coordinators.
“We wanted a place for people who were having acute symptoms either from their underlying disease that made them hospice-eligible to begin with, or from COVID or both, to be able to have a place to be safe and to be comfortable,” Davis added.
The facility is accepting patients and will operate through June.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 2:30 PM.