Agency for Health Care Administration grants Community Hospice Certificate of Need to serve new north Florida territory
Largest territory expansion in nonprofit organization’s 38-year history; organization to begin serving new 11-county region
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, one of Florida’s leading palliative and hospice care providers, has been selected by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to begin providing hospice services to the residents of Service Area 3A, an 11-county region of north and north-central Florida, including Gainesville and Lake City.
AHCA identified an unmet need for the residents of Service Area 3A in October 2016 and requested applications from hospice providers to obtain a new Certificate of Need (CON). Community Hospice was chosen from among all of the applicants for the CON.
“Community Hospice looks forward to providing our high-quality hospice and palliative care to the communities in the 3A service area,” said Susan Ponder-Stansel, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization, “We have a 38-year history of providing compassionate and innovative care to patients and families facing serious illness. We are grateful to be granted approval to serve our neighbors in 3A and bring new resources and additional services to meet the growing need.”
Community Hospice plans to open offices in Gainesville and Lake City to provide services to patients and families in the surrounding counties.
This expanded territory adds to the five counties in which Community Hospice currently operates within AHCA Service Area 4A, including Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The organization is committed to providing the same high-quality hospice care and support for patients and their families in these new counties as it has for nearly 200,000 Northeast Florida residents since its founding in 1979.
###
About Community Hospice of Northeast Florida
Established in 1979, Community Hospice of Northeast Florida is the first and only locally based nonprofit palliative and hospice care provider to serve residents of the First Coast. More families choose Community Hospice than any other hospice provider in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. Each day, through the support of 926 employees and nearly 1,000 volunteers, the organization helps approximately 1,600 patients and their families to live better with advanced illness. During its 37-year history, Community Hospice has served nearly 200,000 adults and children—at home, in long-term care and assisted living facilities, in hospitals and at its eight inpatient care centers conveniently located throughout the area. The organization is committed to improving the quality of life for patients and their families and to be the Compassionate Guide for end-of-life care in our community. No one is ever denied care due to an inability to pay. To learn more about the support and services of Community Hospice, visit CommunityHospice.com.