Big Bend Hospice Inc

Big bend hospice (big bend) is a not-for-profit community-based health care organization that coordinates care by professionals and volunteers specifically trained to help terminally ill patients and their families in the big bend Florida area. Big bend is here to take the fear out of the unknown and guide patients and their families through the difficulties of dealing with a life limiting illness. We provide each patient with a care team composed of the patient's own physician, a hospice nurse, home hearth aide, family support counselor, music therapist, chaplain, and trained volunteers. We are here to support the patients and their families by providing a holistic approach that includes medical, emotional, social, and spiritual care, maximizing the quality of life when the quantity of life cannot be extended. The Dozier House is a licensed 12-bed inpatient facility to provide hospice care for those patients with a higher level of acuity and who may require round-the-clock (24 hour) skilled nursing care. BBH operates a licensed 8-bed inpatient wing in Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare's hospital (First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care). This wing is fully operated by the organization for higher level acuity patients who require the same round-the-clock (24 hour) skilled nursing care but cannot be easily transported from the hospital to the Dozier House. The organization provides services to its hospice patients and families, as well as to the community at large, for which no reimbursement is received, such as loss counseling to children, teens, and adults, and music therapy as an enhancement to basic hospice care. During FYE 9/30/2024, Big Bend Hospice admitted and served 2,370 patients. BBH's Dozier House served 483 patients, the First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care served 426 patients and BBH supported 566 patients in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. Following a terminal diagnosis, patients and families struggling with anticipatory grief are assisted by trained staff. In addition to the anticipatory grief support provided to patients and their loved ones, Big Bend Hospice continues the hospice journey with caregivers and family members after the patient dies through its bereavement program. This includes individual face to face sessions, telephone support, and access to bereavement groups and events. Big Bend Hospice's bereavement program also provides services to the broader Big Bend community through grief groups, camps, and bereavement events. During FYE 9/30/24, the bereavement program provided individual, face-to-face grief support sessions. BBH facilitated 4 six-week Adult Grief Support Groups, a monthly Suicide Loss Support Group (12 sessions), 5 teen night grief and loss support groups, 8 crisis response sessions, 6 holiday bereavement events, 9 Children and Teen Nights, and Teen Woe-Be-Gone. Complimentary therapies provided to patients during FYE 9/30/2024 include 335 hours of animal therapy, 5,091 music therapy visits, and 4,267 spiritual care visits.