VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® has received state authority to open VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of Volusia and Flagler Counties and is now serving patients. The Volusia-Flagler hospice program is the newest of seven VITAS hospice programs in Florida and the 35th VITAS program throughout the country.

“More than twenty-five years ago, VITAS helped defined hospice care by opening our first programs in Florida,” said Deirdre Lawe, VITAS executive vice president, development and public affairs. “Today, we recognize that there are still many underserved communities in our state. I’m proud to announce that VITAS’ compassionate, professional care is now available to patients and families in Volusia and Flagler Counties.

“Whenever VITAS has entered a new market, whether through expansion or acquisition, the community has benefited from an across-the-board increase in hospice care usage-to the benefit of patients and families and all hospice providers in that market,” Lawe explained. “Florida’s oldest not-for-profit hospice, Hospice of Central Florida, for example, merged with VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® in 1996. Ensuring that this respected program would continue to grow and to improve was the driving force behind VITAS’ decision to merge. Seven years after the merger, the number of patients receiving hospice care in Greater Orlando had more than doubled, as did other key indicators,” she added.

VITAS’ Volusia and Flagler program will provide responsive, round-the-clock hospice care, and patients and families in the program area will be able to access VITAS staff day or night through a 24-hour Telecare® call center staffed by VITAS triage nurses.