BJC Hospice offers a multidisciplinary approach, holistic in nature, to patients who have a physician-determined six-month prognosis. We provide compassionate, cost-effective, professional, expert care to patients. The care, sensitive to the emotional and spiritual needs of our adult and pediatric patients, is centered on the patient and family. A highly skilled team of healthcare professionals facilitates our continuity of care.
Hospice provides support and care for people in the final phase of a terminal disease, allowing them to live as fully and as comfortably as possible.
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Patients enter a hospice program when they are no longer attempting to cure their disease
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Hospice treats the person, not the disease, and emphasizes quality of life, not length of life
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Hospice promotes family-centered care, and supports care in the patient's home, extended care facility or residential care center
BJC Hospice believes that healthy living is interdependent living. Therefore, we have developed a caring community that provides comprehensive services to patients and families. Through personalized services, patients and families obtain the necessary assistance to help them cope with this difficult time.
BJC Hospice was the brainchild of Ruth Castellano, vice president of BJC Home Care Services. Initially a staff nurse at Christian Hospital, Castellano became a referral coordinator for Christian Hospital Home Health Care in 1984, and was promoted to director of that operation in 1985. During the next 13 years, Castellano led the consolidation of eight certified home health agencies, three hospice programs, a home infusion agency, one home medical equipment operation and three private duty programs into one cohesive and cost-effective agency -- BJC Home Care Services.
In 1995, BJC Home Care Services established the central referral center to provide a streamlined approach for managing Home Care and Hospice referrals from hospitals and physician offices. That same year, a point-of-service financial and clinical information system was developed for BJC Home Care Services, making clinical information available to our Home Care and Hospice employees in the field through laptop computers. This enhanced timely communication of in-home assessments and the coordination of patient care.
Today, under the auspices of BJC Home Care Services, BJC Hospice is one of the oldest and largest hospice care systems in the Midwest.