Most hospice patients want to remain in their own homes, but for those with complex symptom management or the lack of a stable caregiving system, an inpatient facility is appropriate. Currently our 6-bed hospice facility has a waiting list, often up to 10 or 12 patients a day. With a growing aging population and an ever increasing demand for access to quality hospice care, more beds are needed for our community.
 Our board made a commitment to address this need in 2004 and in 2005 launched a capital campaign for funding of a new Serenity House. Today we are in the final six months of construction of a new 18-bed hospice residential facility with all funding secured.
The new Serenity House will open in Spring 2011 and will offer a residential, home-like setting in natural surroundings, reflecting VNHC’s commitment to dignity and compassionate care at the end of life. The former site of the Community Environmental Council at 930 Miramonte Drive will offer our patients and families the enjoyment of gardens, trees and sweeping views.
Naming opportunities on rooms, landscaped spaces and on an exterior Memory Wall are still available.
Click image for floorplan
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE - July 1, 2010
By May 2010, contractor Frank Schipper had completed the site work, widened the access road, installed retaining walls and cistern basins, and finished the underground garage which will provide 23 parking spaces. They also had brought the existing building up to current codes for electrical and plumbing.
In June, the remaining foundations were laid for the final two patient wings. This required 2.2 million pounds of poured concrete, taking 60 trucks and 8 hours to complete.
A construction preview party for campaign donors was held on June 24 to celebrate this milestone and to offer a look at the construction accomplishments to date.
Framing for the patient rooms in the north and east wings is currently underway, with the framing for the west wing completed earlier in the spring.
The winter rains were a challenge, but the construction team was masterful in moving work forward and minimizing the impact of the weather challenges. There has been a 3-4 week extension of the completion schedule, but completion is expected in early 2011 and the official opening to patients is still slated for the first quarter.
Naming Opportunities Still Available
As construction continues on the new Serenity House, the permanent recognition of capital campaign donors is also being finalized. There will be a lovely donor wall honoring community contributors in the lobby of the new building, an outside memory wall remembering loved ones, and individual naming plaques on interior rooms and exterior landscaped spaces.
A handful of naming opportunities ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 are still available, both inside and outside the new facility. If gift commitments are received by June 31, donors can still be recognized as campaign contributors who helped to make this much-needed hospice house a reality for the community. Contact Pat Snyder at (805) 690-6282 or email
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for more information.
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Call 805-965-5555
