FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Easier access to compassionate end-of-life care is now available for patients and families in Fort Worth and surrounding communities. The new freestanding VITAS Healthcare Inpatient Hospice Unit (IPU), located within five miles of the medical district, provides high-quality hospice services in a homelike environment for patients nearing the end of life. The IPU is expected to care for more than 500 patients each year, particularly those whose pain and symptoms cannot be managed effectively at home.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
A grand opening celebration was held to commemorate the addition to the Fort Worth community. Local dignitaries, healthcare professionals and partner organizations gathered to tour the facility and learn more about the services VITAS offers hospice-eligible patients and their families. The Fort Worth Chamber also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“As the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, VITAS has had the privilege of serving Fort Worth for 37 years,” General Manager Eric Dengler said. “We look forward to continuing to develop these deep roots in the community with the opening of this IPU. It is part of our ongoing efforts to meet the growing demand for specialized end-of-life care services, and we are grateful to all those who have and continue to entrust us with their patients’ and loved ones’ care.”
Located at 5651 Bridge Street in Fort Worth, the newly renovated facility features 12 private patient rooms with flat-screen TVs and overnight accommodations for visitors. Two shared family rooms, a quiet room and a relaxing outdoor area with three courtyards offer extra space for large families and loved ones to gather. Pets are welcome and visitors have access 24/7.
Hospice patients receive individualized care plans aligned to their specific goals and wishes. Additional services that the VITAS IPU in Fort Worth offers include:
- A nationally recognized veterans program and on-site memorial for each military branch.
- Bereavement care for family members and loved ones.
- Memory Bears, hand-crafted from a loved one’s clothing that serve as huggable keepsakes for a patient’s surviving family.
- Respiratory therapy for those with complex and specialized respiratory care needs.
- Additional therapy services, such as physical, occupational and speech therapy, when appropriate.
VITAS hospice experts are available around-the-clock to provide high-acuity care for seriously ill patients and manage complex modalities as needed, such as intravenous therapies for pain management, hydration, antibiotics and more, to enhance quality of life. Patients at the IPU can also receive high-flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation, compassionate extubations and more.
To meet their physical, spiritual and psychosocial needs, hospice patients receive quality care from an interdisciplinary team of experienced and compassionate healthcare professionals, including a physician, nurse, hospice aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteer and bereavement specialist. VITAS offers additional support for patients and families with 24-hour telecare services and a home medical equipment division.
VITAS has been providing hospice services in Texas for 40 years, serving more than 1,000 patients and their families each day. VITAS cares for patients wherever they call home—in a skilled nursing center, assisted living community, private residence and inpatient centers at Carrollton Regional Medical Center, Methodist Dallas Medical Center and now in Fort Worth.
Clinicians can make seamless referrals 24/7/365 through the VITAS Healthcare mobile app or by calling 800.93.VITAS. Learn more about end-of-life care services and explore rewarding career and volunteer opportunities at VITAS.com.
About VITAS® Healthcare
Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 55 hospice programs in 15 states (Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 11,679 professionals who care for patients with advanced illness, primarily in the patients’ homes, and also in the company’s 27 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the third quarter of 2024, VITAS reported an average daily census of 21,977. Visit www.vitas.com.
Media inquiries contact: media@vitas.com, 877-848-2701
