Community Hospice & Palliative Care has served families across northeast and North Central Florida for 47 years. From our Columbia County Office at 163 SW Stonegate Terrace, Suite 105, Lake City, FL 32024, our care teams reach families throughout Lake City, Fort White, and the rural communities of Columbia County. We provide hospice and palliative care at home, in assisted living communities, and in nursing facilities across the region, so your loved one receives full support in familiar surroundings. Someone answers every call, at any hour. Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator today.
For most Lake City families, hospice care happens at home. That might be a private residence on the east side of town, an assisted living community off of US-90, or a nursing home room in one of the cities and towns we serve across Columbia County. Our nurses, home health aides, chaplains, and social workers travel to your loved one, so there is no need to move them when they need care most.
The Columbia County Office at 163 SW Stonegate Terrace coordinates home-based hospice and palliative care throughout Lake City and the surrounding North Central Florida region. Families whose loved one is currently at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital on NW Commerce Drive can call us directly or ask the hospital’s discharge planner to reach out. Our care team will coordinate the transition and arrange hospice care wherever your loved one will be going home to.
Community Hospice does not operate an inpatient Center for Caring in Lake City or anywhere in Columbia County. Families who need inpatient hospice care for intensive symptom management will find our nearest Centers for Caring in Jacksonville, approximately 64 miles east. We address this in more detail in the Locations Section below. For patients who need intensive nursing support but want to remain at home, Continuous Home Care, which delivers higher-level bedside nursing during a medical crisis, can often be arranged without requiring a trip to Jacksonville.
Veterans in Columbia County have a meaningful additional resource. The Lake City VA Medical Center at 619 South Marion Avenue serves veterans throughout Columbia County and across the region. Community Hospice care coordinators are experienced in coordinating VA benefits alongside Medicare Part A, so veterans and their families receive the full support they have earned.
Community Hospice operates two types of locations: Hospice Centers for Caring, our inpatient facilities, and offices that coordinate home-based care, community programs, and family services. Here is how that structure applies to Lake City families.
Community Hospice does not operate an inpatient Center for Caring in Lake City. The nearest Centers for Caring are located in Jacksonville, approximately 64 miles east, where we have Centers embedded inside several of the city’s major hospital systems. Families needing inpatient hospice care should visit our Jacksonville hospice locations page for details on each Center, including directions and what to expect on arrival.
For Lake City patients who need intensive symptom management but prefer to remain at home, our care team can evaluate whether Continuous Home Care, a higher level of nursing provided at the bedside, is appropriate for your loved one’s situation. Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator about all available options.
Columbia County Office 163 SW Stonegate Terrace, Suite 105, Lake City, FL 32024 Phone: 866-253-6681
The Columbia County Office is our home base for all hospice and palliative care services throughout Lake City and the surrounding North Central Florida communities. The office coordinates home-based care, community programs, and family services for families across Columbia County and beyond. Wheelchair-accessible entrance and parking are available. Parking details can be confirmed by calling 866-253-6681 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 is focused 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, keeping the focus on what matters most: the time your family has together.
Home-based hospice care across Columbia County includes regular nursing visits, around-the-clock phone access to a clinical nurse, and aide services for personal care. Hospice care is appropriate for a wide range of serious illnesses, not only cancer. Heart failure, COPD, dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and kidney disease are among the conditions Community Hospice’s care teams address every day in Lake City and across the North Central Florida region.
Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible patients, meaning most Lake City 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. No one is ever denied services through Community Hospice, regardless of their ability to pay.
Community Hospice is a Level 5 We Honor Veterans partner, the highest designation in the We Honor Veterans program. For veterans in Lake City served by the Lake City VA Medical Center on South Marion Avenue, our care coordinators help coordinate VA benefits alongside Medicare, so veterans and their families receive every benefit they have earned.
Palliative care is specialized care focused on symptom relief and quality of life for patients with a serious illness, at any point in treatment. A patient managing heart failure, a neurological condition, or receiving cancer treatment 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 shift the goals of their care.
When the time comes to move from curative to comfort-focused care, Community Hospice’s palliative care team can walk alongside that conversation and, when a family is ready, help coordinate the transition to hospice care. As with hospice, no one is ever denied palliative care through Community Hospice based on ability to pay.
Grief often begins before a death. Caregivers and family members in Lake City who are watching a loved one decline frequently experience anticipatory grief, a real and underserved 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.
Lake City-area residents do not need to be a current patient’s family member to access grief support resources through Community Hospice. These services are available to the broader community and offered at no cost. If you are carrying the weight of a loss and are not sure where to turn, call 866-253-6681.
Community Hospice serves a 16-county region spanning northeast and North Central Florida. The Columbia County Office is the hub for our services in Lake City and the surrounding region.
Columbia County’s population is approximately 71,789. More than 1 in 5 residents (21%, per Census QuickFacts) is 65 or older. In a county with this much rural geography, home-based hospice care is both a preference and a practical reality. Families are spread across a large footprint, and adult children often manage care decisions from a distance. Having a local office that answers around the clock makes a real difference.
Lake City is the county seat and the county’s most populated area. The Columbia County Office on SW Stonegate Terrace sits near the I-75/US-90 interchange, on the main western approach into Lake City from the interstate, accessible from the rural communities throughout the county. Fort White, approximately 20 miles south via SR-47, is the only other incorporated municipality in Columbia County.
Community Hospice’s care teams also reach the unincorporated communities of Columbia County: Five Points, Lulu, Watertown, Ellisville, Mikesville, Deep Creek, Suwannee Valley, and Winfield. From the Columbia County Office, care coordination extends into surrounding counties as well, including Hamilton County (Jasper, White Springs), Suwannee County (Live Oak, Branford), and Union County (Lake Butler).
Columbia County is home to approximately 6,029 veterans, roughly 11% of all residents. The largest cohort, 2,287 Vietnam-era veterans, is now predominantly in its 70s and 80s, at or approaching typical hospice eligibility ages. Community Hospice holds a Level 5 We Honor Veterans designation, meaning care coordinators are trained in the distinct needs of veterans and their families. For families needing access to our inpatient Centers for Caring, Jacksonville is approximately 64 miles to the east.
Founded in 1979, 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 history carries real meaning. It means a care model refined over decades of serving thousands of families in this region, and a team 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 by HEALTHCAREfirst. 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 501(c)(3) organization, every dollar Community Hospice generates returns to patient care, staff education, and community services. There are no shareholders to satisfy. The mission that guided the organization’s founders in 1979 is the same mission guiding every care decision today for Lake City families and families across the North Central Florida region.
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. In Columbia County, approximately 6,029 veterans call home, and 2,287 Vietnam-era veterans are now at typical hospice eligibility ages. Care coordinators understand the distinct needs, experiences, and benefits available to veterans and their families, including how to coordinate VA benefits alongside Medicare Part A coverage.
Across northeast and North Central Florida, Community Hospice operates 9 Centers for Caring and maintains offices serving 16 counties. That regional footprint gives Lake City families access to organizational depth and continuity built over nearly five decades of service.
The Columbia County Office is at 163 SW Stonegate Terrace, Suite 105, Lake City, FL 32024. The office coordinates home-based hospice and palliative care throughout Lake City, Columbia County, and the surrounding North Central Florida counties. Wheelchair-accessible entrance and parking are available. Community Hospice does not operate an inpatient Center for Caring in Lake City. The nearest Centers for Caring are in Jacksonville, approximately 64 miles east. Call 866-253-6681 for directions or to confirm details before your visit.
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, and bereavement support for up to 13 months after the death of a loved one. Most Lake City 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.
Community Hospice serves all of Columbia County, including Lake City, Fort White, and unincorporated communities throughout the county: Five Points, Lulu, Watertown, Ellisville, Mikesville, Deep Creek, Suwannee Valley, and Winfield. The Columbia County Office also coordinates care for families in surrounding counties, including Hamilton, Suwannee, and Union, as part of a 16-county North Central Florida service area. Call 866-253-6681 to confirm coverage for a specific address.
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 palliative care that begins when a physician certifies a prognosis of six months or less if the illness follows its expected course, and the patient chooses comfort rather than curative treatment. Both hospice care and palliative care are available through Community Hospice in Lake City. Call 866-253-6681 to learn more about which option may be right for your loved one.
Yes. Community Hospice is a Level 5 We Honor Veterans partner, the highest designation in the program. Care coordinators are trained in coordinating VA benefits alongside Medicare, so veterans receive the full range of support they have earned. Columbia County veterans are also served by the Lake City VA Medical Center at 619 South Marion Avenue. Call 866-253-6681 for details on VA-coordinated hospice care in Lake City.
Choosing hospice care is one of the most significant decisions a family will make. Community Hospice has been part of this moment for Lake City families for nearly five decades, and we understand the weight of the call you are about to make.
Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator. Our team answers 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Choosing hospice care is one of the most significant decisions a family will face. Community Hospice has been part of this moment for Jacksonville families for 47 years.
Call 866-253-6681 to speak with a care coordinator. Our team is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
