In the early 1980s, a small group of determined citizens set out to give residents of our community access to mission-centered hospice care.
At the time hospice care was new, specialized care for people with serious, terminal illnesses that had only been available in the United States since 1975. Through the efforts of many dedicated individuals, volunteers worked to secure office space, educate the community, and recruit supporters and volunteers.
Efforts paid off when York County Hospice admitted its first patient and began what today is a 33-year labor of quality compassionate care for our community.
While we have grown significantly since 1985, our nonprofit roots are still anchored firmly in our community. According to the latest (released Oct 2017) report of figures from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, today just 31.9 percent of U.S. hospices that accept the Medicare hospice benefit are nonprofit – a decline from 100 percent when hospice care began.
At Hospice & Community Care, “nonprofit” is far more than a tax status: it is a guiding principle for our board of directors, staff and volunteers, all of who care deeply about this community and who always put patients first.
The reason that we still exist and provide hospice care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay is bound in our nonprofit status. We do not seek to make a profit for owners or pay shareholder dividends. Everything that we have is reinvested into this community year after year. The Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House, which continues to be the only inpatient hospice house in the community, was built because we believed that the people of our community deserved access to care options within the hospice care continuum.
As Hospice & Community Care enters into our 33rd year of caring, our deepest thanks go to all of our supporters and the residents of the community. We know that every dollar and every volunteer hour given to us has come from people who trust us to be beside them during life’s most difficult journeys.
