Co-Founders: Rev. Ronald Purkey and Sarah Purkey, RN

THE HISTORY OF HOPE HOSPICE

After spending over 30 years as a nurse, registered nurse Sarah Purkey decided that a cold, sterile hospital room was not the best that could be done for a seriously ill patient with a life limiting disease.

 

Over twenty-five years have passed since Sarah and her husband, Rev. Ronald Purkey, envisioned starting an organization that would provide hospice care to patients with life limiting conditions and their families in Fulton County, Indiana.

 

Based on the premise that any patient who wishes should be in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by family and friends, the seed of Rochester’s Hope Hospice was born.

 

That vision took the Purkeys on a long journey that ended with Hope Hospice, Inc., becoming a reality on April 14, 1995. Hope Hospice, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, public benefit organization whose mission is to provide palliative care designed to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of patients with life limiting conditions and their families.

 

The need for a Hospice in Fulton County was based on surveys that were taken from local physicians, the Board of Health, and Woodlawn Hospital. The data revealed that Fulton County could sustain a local hospice. (Hope Hospice has had a high of 46 patients per day.) In addition, out of the 26 physicians surveyed, 13 agreed to utilize hospice care when appropriate for their patients.

 

Initially, the Purkeys used their own money to start-up the organization. The first office was out of the Purkey's home. A few months later the organization moved to a one-room office in town donated by the late Jim Zimmerman. Using donated office equipment and an all-volunteer staff, Hope Hospice began its quest to meet those special needs of seriously ill patients and their families. The agency has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

 

Today, Hope Hospice has their own office at 1476 West 18th Street in Rochester, maintains 16 paid staff positions and has a pool of over 13 trained volunteers. In addition to lay volunteers, a Rochester physician, Dr. Michael J. Brubaker, DO, donates his time to serve as Medical Director for the agency. He has been the Hope Hospice volunteer Medical Director for fifteen years. Also, Hope Hospice has added an inpatient component.

 

Hope Hospice serves the residents of Fulton County and patients in nearby counties. A Hope Hospice “on call” staff nurse is always available to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, services are provided at no cost to the patients or their families. As a not-for-profit, public benefit organization, Hope Hospice has never sent a bill to a patient or to a patient’s family. Hope Hospice funds come from Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, grants, and donations.

 

The Mission of Hope Hospice is threefold:

 

·        To address the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of those who are dying, recognizing that individual's situations and wishes for the last part of their life will vary.

 

·        To support those who care for the dying during their loved one's final illness and during their time of bereavement.

 

·        To inform and educate the community about death and dying and about the benefits of Hospice care.

 

In all that Hope Hospice does, the goal is to act with understanding and compassion, helping people live to the last moment of their lives, peacefully and in comfort with meaning and dignity. As the population ages the need for services such as quality Hospice and Palliative Care Services will be on the increase. Hope Hospice plans to be here to provide those services to our neighbors in Fulton County and nearby counties.

 

H O P E   H O S P I C E

1476 West 18th Street, P.O. Box 621, Rochester, IN 46975

Telephone: (574) 224-HOPE or Fax: (574) 224-4444

E-Mail: hospice@hopehospicefc.com

 

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