The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Roundhouse Foundation, well-known to the people of Sisters for its longtime support of many local projects and organizations, has broadened its scope of funding and recently announced a $750,000 gift to the Hospice House capital campaign to sponsor the Great Room and provide seed funding for The Center for Compassionate Care. The Compassionate Care program will be launched with $500,000 in seed funding and sustained long-term through charitable gifts and grants from the Central Oregon community.

Although the new program is still in the design phase, the following areas and initiatives in support of the care provided to patients and family members while at Hospice House will be funded: help covering the cost of the respite care of Medicaid patients at Hospice House who are unable to pay for their care and for whom Partners In Care does not receive reimbursement from Medicaid; help covering the cost of short-term residential stays for patients with placement issues such as a direct admission from St. Charles prior to placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility; supporting Hospice House registered nurses and CNAs achieving certification in Hospice and Palliative Care (CHPN) — reimbursement for fees and materials needed for this specialty education.

Other programs funded include: supporting a temporary nurse educator position to develop training/orientation programs and materials for new Hospice House employees and to expand into a full-time, long-term role in ongoing clinical education; providing specialized grief support for families anticipating the death of a loved one while at Hospice House; providing education programs to raise awareness of the services and support offered by hospice and Hospice House; providing supplemental funding for family support as they travel to Hospice House (lodging, gas, airfare, etc.) when unable to manage such costs; and helping fund the Arts in Care program at Hospice House including the use of art, music, floral arts, and other art forms and rituals used in the end-of-life process.

“The Roundhouse Foundation is grateful for the kind and compassionate service that the Partners In Care Hospice House provides for our community,” said Kathy Deggendorfer, Foundation co-founder and trustee.

“We are pleased to join so many others in Sisters who have generously supported the expansion of the facilities.

For us, it is important to nurture all phases of an individual’s life… from birth to the final stages.

The Great Room at the Hospice House facility will provide a place where families can gather as their loved one passes.

Support for The Center for Compassionate Care will provide help for families that should never be denied these end-of-life services due to lack of funds.

We believe [that] to have a community full of kindness, you must participate in the creation of that community.

We support the important work of the Partners In Care Hospice House.”

Roundhouse has not yet announced the naming choice for the Great Room.