Hospice of Warren County began with community members in 1979 as a non-profit hospice agency, with volunteers befriending terminally ill patients and their families, offering respite and support.

The desire was to make this special level of caring available to the people of Warren County, affording people dealing with a serious illness dignity and quality of life. Today, over 150 trained and professional staff and volunteers work everyday with these same goals in mind.

Hospice care is appropriate for people dealing with a life-limiting illness and who also desire a less invasive approach in managing their illness, wanting to focus on treatments that are helpful that can be managed out of the hospital if possible, so life can be as normal as possible, given their difficult circumstances related to illness. Caregivers providing the day-to-day care for these patients need resources of trained people, supplies, medications and equipment if the patients are to meet their goal of ultimate quality of life even in the midst of serious illness. Hospice workers are prepared to meet the needs of these patients and families, and provide advocacy for the patients’ and families’ wishes, dignity, and quality of life.

Most insurances offer some type of hospice coverage. Some do not. Some patients have no coverage. No patient is turned away due to inability to pay if in need of the services of Hospice of Warren County. The variety of needs of the various patients and families we serve, along with the increased constraints of the insurance industry, make balancing insurance income and meeting needs challenging. We rely on community support, such as the United Fund, for us to provide high-standard hospice care to the community.

Our hospice program has greatly grown in size and scope over the past 34 years. Initially serving only terminally ill patients and families, our agency has found ways to utilize our expertise to benefit people at any stage of a serious illness, not just the terminal stage. We have found throughout our years of experience that people at ANY stage of a serious illness can benefit from a variety of services that we are equipped to provide, as our experience gives us a keen understanding of issues that go along with a serious illness.

We now have the following services available, most of which are of no cost to the patient and / or family:

Palliative Care:

A consultative service designed to offer assistance to patients and families dealing with any stage of a serious illness. Our team of skilled professionals helps with symptom management, practical support, and defining goals of care for a patient and family. Serious illness affects not only the patient but the entire family unit. The outcome of consultative services through our Palliative Care program is often expressed relief by patients and families at having a skilled support service along the ebb and flow of their journey of illness. Our services may be needed for a short or long time, depending on the individual situation.

Grief and Loss Support:

Certified grief counselors offer individual and / or group counseling for anyone who has endured the loss of a loved one. Individuals do not need to have been connected with hospice or palliative care to access this service. Our counselors work closely with the Warren County School District, educating school counselors and providing sessions for children. Services are offered for a full year to primary caregivers of hospice patients.

DeFrees Support:

This program offers befriending, similar to the way our agency began, utilizing volunteers and / or the program’s Coordinator to provide support and connection to community services the patient and / or family may not realize exist or that they are eligible for.

John and Orpha Blair Hospice Residence:

This alternative to an institutional setting provides a home setting for hospice care when, for whatever reason, the patient cannot remain in their own home. One of 4 hospice residences in the state of Pennsylvania, a maximum of 3 patients permitted to reside at our Residence offers intimate care, personalized to the patient’s preferences. Care is provided 24 hours a day by skilled hospice staff and a patient may stay as long as he / she is eligible for hospice. A room-and-board fee is charged for this service.

Hospice of Warren County does special outreach to veterans, and is poised to do outreach to the pediatric population within Warren County. We are working on a “Living Legacy” project which creates a memory book for families, enabling their loved one’s legacy to remain with them throughout their lives.

Our Medicare certified agency is the only non-profit Hospice serving all of Warren County since 1979. Hospice of Warren County utilizes funds we receive from the United Fund Torchlight Campaign to support and advance our services to meet the needs of our patients, families, and community.