Community Hospice & Palliative Care has served families across North Central Florida for 47 years. From the Putnam County Office at 5111 Crill Ave, our interdisciplinary care teams deliver hospice and palliative care throughout Palatka, across all of Putnam County, and into the surrounding rural communities of the region. Hospice care reaches the patient at home, whether that is a private residence, an assisted living community, or a nursing facility, so your loved one receives full support from physicians, nurses, chaplains, and social workers without leaving familiar surroundings. Someone answers every call, at any hour. Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator today.
For most Putnam County families, hospice care happens at home. That might be a private residence along the St. Johns River, a manufactured home in Interlachen, an assisted living facility in East Palatka, or a family member’s house in Welaka. Community Hospice’s nurses, home health aides, chaplains, and social workers travel to the patient, wherever in Putnam County they live.
The care team comes to the patient. Families in Florahome, Pomona Park, and other rural communities that may be 20 to 40 minutes from any medical facility receive the same quality of care as families in Palatka city proper. Putnam County is a federally designated Medically Underserved Area, and with 72.7% of residents living in rural areas, home-based hospice care is not a marketing claim. It is the practical answer to a real geographic problem.
Families whose loved one is currently at HCA Florida Putnam Hospital on Zeagler Drive can call us directly or ask the hospital’s discharge planner to reach out. Community Hospice’s care team will coordinate the transition and arrange hospice care wherever the patient will be going home to.
Community Hospice does not operate an inpatient Center for Caring in Palatka or anywhere in Putnam County. The nearest Centers for Caring for Palatka families are in Jacksonville, approximately 47.6 miles northeast. Most hospice care is home-based, and for many Putnam County families, care at home is the right fit from the start. When inpatient symptom management is needed, Community Hospice’s care team coordinates that transition.
Community Hospice operates two types of locations: Hospice Centers for Caring (inpatient facilities) and offices that coordinate home-based care, community programs, and family services. Here is how that structure applies to Palatka families.
Community Hospice does not operate an inpatient Center for Caring in Palatka or Putnam County. Community Hospice’s 9 Centers for Caring serve families across northeast and North Central Florida, with the nearest located in Jacksonville, approximately 47.6 miles northeast of Palatka. For Palatka families whose loved one’s condition requires inpatient symptom management, the Jacksonville hospice locations page provides details on each Center, including what to expect on arrival.
For most patients in Putnam County, inpatient care is not the starting point. Community Hospice’s care team delivers nursing, aide services, chaplaincy, and social work in the patient’s home throughout the county. When a transfer to a Center for Caring is needed, it is the same organization, the same care coordinator, and the same care plan, continued in a different setting.
The Putnam County Office is Community Hospice’s home base for hospice and palliative care services throughout Palatka and the surrounding communities. The office coordinates home-based care, community programs, and family services for families across Putnam County and beyond. Wheelchair-accessible parking is available. Contact admissions at 866-253-6681 to confirm current parking details before your visit.
The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care generates philanthropic and community support for patient care services, family needs and community programs.
Hospice care focuses on comfort, dignity, and quality of life for patients living with a life-limiting illness. Community Hospice’s interdisciplinary care team includes physicians, registered nurses, licensed home health aides, medical social workers, chaplains, and bereavement counselors. This team meets regularly to review and adjust each patient’s individualized plan of care, with one goal: giving your family the best possible time together.
Home-based hospice care throughout Putnam County includes regular nursing visits, around-the-clock phone access to a clinical nurse, and aide services for personal care. For patients whose symptoms cannot be managed at home, Community Hospice’s Centers for Caring in Jacksonville provide continuous clinical management. Hospice care addresses a wide range of serious illnesses, including heart failure, COPD, dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, neurological conditions, and cancer.
Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible patients, which means most Palatka families pay little or nothing out of pocket for nursing visits, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, home health aide services, chaplaincy, social work, and bereavement support. Medicaid and most private insurance policies also cover hospice. Putnam County is a federally designated Medically Underserved Area, and with a poverty rate of 21% and an uninsured rate of 14.1%, cost is a real barrier for many families here. No one is ever denied services through Community Hospice, regardless of their ability to pay.
Putnam County’s veteran share is 13.2%, nearly double Florida’s statewide average of 7%. Community Hospice is a Level 5 We Honor Veterans partner, the highest designation in the program. Vietnam-era veterans are the largest cohort in this county and are now reaching the ages when hospice becomes relevant. Veterans in Palatka receive primary care through the Palatka VA Clinic at 400 North State Road 19 (open Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.). Veterans with more complex needs often use the Leo C. Chase Jr. VA Clinic at 100 Deerfield Preserve Blvd in Saint Augustine. Community Hospice’s care coordinators work with both VA systems, coordinating VA benefits alongside Medicare so veterans and their families receive every benefit they have earned.
Palliative care focuses on comfort and symptom relief for patients with a serious illness, at any point in treatment. A patient managing heart failure, a neurological condition, or a cancer diagnosis can receive palliative care alongside curative care. Palliative care is not the same as hospice: it begins at diagnosis, continues for as long as it helps, and does not require a patient to change the goals of their care.
Many families in rural Putnam County manage serious illness with limited access to specialists. Palliative care and symptom management are available through Community Hospice without requiring a patient to give up on treatment. When the time comes to move from curative to comfort-focused care, Community Hospice’s team can walk alongside that conversation. As with hospice, no one is ever denied palliative care through Community Hospice based on ability to pay.
Grief often begins before a death. Family members and caregivers in Palatka who are watching a loved one decline frequently experience anticipatory grief, a real and underrecognized part of the end-of-life experience. Community Hospice provides grief counseling and bereavement services during the hospice period and for up to 13 months after the death of a loved one.
Putnam County residents do not need to be a current patient’s family member to access grief support through Community Hospice. In a county with limited access to licensed counseling, this community availability is a meaningful resource. Bereavement services are offered at no cost. Call 866-253-6681 if you are carrying the weight of a loss and are not sure where to turn.
Community Hospice serves a 16-county region across northeast and North Central Florida. The Putnam County Office at 5111 Crill Ave is our hub for all of Putnam County, reaching families from Palatka to the most rural communities in the county.
Within Putnam County, Community Hospice’s care teams serve Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, East Palatka, Welaka, Florahome, Pomona Park, San Mateo, Satsuma, Hollister, and Melrose. For families in Interlachen, Welaka, and Florahome, communities with no hospital and limited medical infrastructure, Community Hospice’s home-based care model means the care team comes to the patient. Distance from a hospital is not a barrier to compassionate hospice support.
The Putnam County Office also serves families in neighboring Alachua, Clay, Bradford, and St. Johns counties as part of Community Hospice’s 16-county service area. The Gainesville office serves Alachua County and the surrounding North Central Florida region. For families who need inpatient care, Jacksonville is approximately 47.6 miles northeast, with 9 Centers for Caring across the city’s major hospital systems.
Putnam County’s geography tells the story of why in-home care matters. The St. Johns River defines the eastern edge of the county, and communities like Welaka and East Palatka sit across it. The working families of this county have spent lifetimes building roots here. Community Hospice brings hospice care to those roots, wherever they are planted.
Community Hospice has served families across northeast and North Central Florida for 47 years. For a family making one of the most significant decisions of their lives, that track record carries real weight. It reflects a care model refined across decades of serving thousands of families in this region, with teams whose training runs deep in both clinical care and the human dimensions of end-of-life experience.
In 2025, Community Hospice was named a Hospice Honors Elite program. The recognition as a Hospice Honors Elite program places Community Hospice among the top 2% of hospices nationwide, and we are honored to be the only hospice in the state of Florida to receive this designation, a {TESTAMENT_PLACEHOLDER} to the exceptional quality and heartfelt care our team delivers each day.
As a nonprofit organization, every dollar Community Hospice generates returns to patient care, staff education, and community services. There are no shareholders to satisfy. In Putnam County, where 21% of residents live below the poverty line and 14.1% are uninsured, the nonprofit mission is not a framing exercise. It is the reason no one is turned away.
Community Hospice holds a Level 5 We Honor Veterans designation, the highest tier of a national program recognizing specialized training in veteran-specific end-of-life care. For Putnam County’s veterans, many of them Vietnam-era, Community Hospice’s care coordinators understand VA benefits and work with both the Palatka VA Clinic and the Leo C. Chase Jr. VA Clinic in Saint Augustine to make sure nothing falls between VA and Medicare coverage.
Across northeast and North Central Florida, Community Hospice operates 9 Centers for Caring and maintains offices serving 16 counties. That regional footprint gives Palatka families access to organizational depth and continuity. If a patient’s condition requires inpatient care in Jacksonville, it is the same organization, the same care coordinator, and the same care plan, continuing in a different setting.
Community Hospice serves all of Putnam County, including Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, East Palatka, Welaka, Florahome, Pomona Park, San Mateo, and surrounding rural communities. Hospice care is delivered in the patient’s home. Patients do not travel to the office for care. The care team comes to them. Call 866-253-6681 to confirm coverage for a specific address.
Community Hospice’s Centers for Caring are not located in Palatka or Putnam County. The nearest are in Jacksonville, approximately 47.6 miles northeast. Most hospice care is home-based: Community Hospice’s care team comes to the patient’s home throughout Putnam County, so most families never need to travel to an inpatient facility. When inpatient care is needed to manage symptoms that cannot be controlled at home, the Community Hospice team coordinates accordingly. Visit our Jacksonville hospice locations page for details on each Center.
Yes. Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible patients, including nursing visits, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, home health aide services, chaplaincy, social work, medical equipment, and bereavement support for up to 13 months after the death of a loved one. Most Palatka families pay little or nothing out of pocket. Medicaid and most private insurance policies also cover hospice. No one is ever denied services through Community Hospice, regardless of their ability to pay. Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator about your family’s specific coverage.
Yes. Community Hospice is a Level 5 We Honor Veterans partner, the highest designation in the program. Community Hospice’s care coordinators are experienced in coordinating VA benefits alongside Medicare hospice. Veterans in Putnam County receive primary care through the Palatka VA Clinic at 400 North State Road 19, Palatka, FL 32177, open Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Veterans with complex needs may use the Leo C. Chase Jr. VA Clinic at 100 Deerfield Preserve Blvd in Saint Augustine. Community Hospice coordinates with both. Call 866-253-6681 for details on VA-coordinated hospice care.
Palliative care focuses on comfort and symptom relief for patients with a serious illness, at any point in treatment, including alongside curative care. Hospice is a specific form of care that begins when a physician certifies a prognosis of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course, and the patient chooses to focus on comfort rather than curative treatment. Both hospice care and palliative care are available through Community Hospice in Palatka. Call 866-253-6681 to learn more about which may be right for your loved one.
No. Most hospice care is delivered in the patient’s home, whether that is a private residence, an assisted living facility, a manufactured home, or a family member’s house. Community Hospice’s care teams bring nursing, aide services, chaplaincy, and social work to the patient. For families in Interlachen, Welaka, and Florahome, care at home is the primary model. When inpatient care is needed, Community Hospice’s Centers for Caring in Jacksonville are available, approximately 47.6 miles northeast of Palatka.
Yes. Community Hospice provides grief counseling and bereavement support for up to 13 months after a loved one’s death. This support is also available to Putnam County community members who are not current Community Hospice patient families. In a county with limited access to licensed counseling, community grief support through Community Hospice is available at no cost. Call 866-253-6681 for more information.
Calling about hospice for a loved one is one of the hardest calls a family makes. Community Hospice has been part of this moment for Putnam County families for 47 years, and we understand the weight of the decision ahead of you.
Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator. Our team answers 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
