A Pioneer in Healthcare. Community Hospices’ Inpatient Unit, the first and only inpatient unit (IPU) in the District of Columbia, fulfills a vital community need for end-of-life care for residents. Co-located with a skilled nursing facility, the IPU helps manage patients’ pain and symptoms and provides crisis management help for their families.

Team of Dedicated Professionals. The IPU team of professionals specialize in end-of-life care:

• Board Certified Hospice & Palliative Medicine Physician
• Pharmacist with a specialty in Palliative Pharmacology
• Palliative-certified nurses
• Certified Nursing Assistants
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Chaplain
• Bereavement Services
• Specially trained volunteers

24/7 Patient Care. The hospice team sees patients daily and provides 24-hour services in our family-friendly facility:

• overnight accommodations for family members
• children/adult/pet visiting hours 24/7
• peaceful living room/lounge/kitchen and dining area
• private consultation room
• patient-access to outdoor patio/fountain

Clear Admission Criteria. Community Hospices provides general inpatient care for patients who require pain and/or acute symptom management that cannot feasibly be provided in other settings including:

• Complicated technical delivery of medication requiring RN for calibration, tubing changes or site care
• Frequent evaluation by physician/nurse
• Aggressive treatment to control pain

Symptom changes such as:

• Respiratory distress that becomes unmanageable
• Severe agitated delirium or acute anxiety or depression secondary to the end-stage disease process requiring extensive intervention
• Imminent death requiring skilled nursing care for pain or symptom management

Helpful Intake Staff. There are no out-of-pocket expenses for patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid Hospice Benefits and some commercial insurers. Preauthorization by payer sources is required. Call 1.866.234.7742 and our Intake Staff will handle everything.