FOUR SEASONS SET TO IMPROVE HOSPICE SERVICES IN MACON COUNTY WITH LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS

Press Release

Contact: Chris Comeaux
Phone: (828) 692-6178 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 9, 2010


Chris Comeaux, president/CEO of Four Seasons, announced today that Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Macon County will transfer hospice services to Four Seasons effective October 1, 2010. Four Seasons, a non-profit agency, has been providing a high level of compassionate and professional care for people facing serious life-limiting illness in Western North Carolina since 1981.

Comeaux said, “This transfer of services will enable Highlands-Cashiers Hospital to focus on their core hospital operations, while Four Seasons will work on improving the end-of-life care services to the residents of the Highlands-Cashiers area and to the residents of Macon County.”

Currently in Macon County, only about one in five people who could benefit from hospice are being served with hospice services. This ratio is one of the lowest in North Carolina.

Additionally, in 2009, the Hospice House Foundation of WNC, Inc. in Macon County, chose Four Seasons to partner with them to build a six-bed hospice inpatient unit to serve the area. There are currently 28 Hospice Houses in North Carolina, but none west of Asheville. An inpatient facility offers a homelike atmosphere where care can be provided to hospice patients and challenging symptoms can be addressed.

“We saw an opportunity to really improve end-of-life care services in the area with these two partnerships,” Comeaux said.

Michele Alderson, president of the Hospice House Foundation of WNC, Inc., said, “The Foundation chose Four Seasons as their partner to operate the facility because they are not only one of the top hospices agencies in North Carolina, but are one of the premier hospice and palliative care agencies in the country.” Four Seasons served over 77 percent of the deaths in Henderson County last year.

“Through our partnerships with Highlands-Cashiers Hospice and the Hospice House Foundation, our hope is to help many more patients and families in this area of WNC who are going through a very difficult time of life,” Comeaux said.

He added that the Four Seasons’ board of directors has made a strategic decision to position the agency as a regional hospice provider to ensure that the very best in end-of-life care services are available to everyone in Western North Carolina. The board of directors also wants to position Four Seasons to be sustainable far into the future, regardless of changes to the national healthcare system. “Integrating Highlands-Cashiers Hospice into Four Seasons end-of-life care services is a great opportunity to meet both these objectives,” he said.

Carolyn Lawton, currently staff development program manager for Four Seasons, has been named the interim executive director of the Highlands-Cashiers Hospice, and Rebekah Reeves, currently director of internal education, will serve as the transitional clinical director.

Four Seasons is one of the most respected end-of-life care specialists in the country. Since 1981, Four Seasons has provided a high level of compassionate and professional care for people facing serious life-limiting illness in Western North Carolina. It is a non-profit organization led by a dedicated team of health care professionals, social workers, spiritual care professionals and volunteers.