services

Proven Professional Supportive

Sangre de Cristo Hospice has been the preferred choice of terminally ill individuals and health care
professionals in the area for 25 years. Our care management system has been designed and includes
nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice aides, volunteers and family members. As a nonprofit, community
effort and the only CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program) hospice in the community - we care for
everyone who comes to us for help regardless of ability to pay. We welcome your phone calls to receive
help, information, to volunteer, contribute or to just ask questions. We are grateful for the trust that you
have placed in us to see that your loved ones, parents, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and many
others need not die alone or in pain. More than 10,000 patients and their loved ones in Southern Colorado
have experienced the excellence of care we provide during this difficult time.

What is hospice and palliative care?
Sangre de Cristo Hospice uses an interdisciplinary approach to caring for patients and their families facing
serious or terminal illness. A team of professionals works closely with the patient, their loved ones and their
personal physician to develop and implement a plan of care that ensures comfort and compassion. Pain
control, symptom management, emotional and spiritual support and respite are just a few of the key
services provided under a plan of care. The team also provides much needed relief and support of loved
ones and caregivers of the patient as well as bereavement services for 13 months following the patient's
death.

Who pays for hospice and palliative services? Both Medicare and Medicaid pay for care received from
a licensed provider. Additionally, many private insurers provide a hospice or palliative care benefit. As a
nonprofit organization, Sangre de Cristo Hospice & Palliative Care also depends on generous financial
support from our community to help meet gaps in funding and ensure that we never deny care to a
hospice-appropriate patient.

Where are services provided? Hospice and palliative services are available in the patient's home, at a
skilled nursing or long term care facility or in our inpatient facility, Hospice House. Sangre de Cristo Hospice
& Palliative Care serves the families of Pueblo, Fremont, Custer, Huerfano, Las Animas and Park counties.
Your hospice benefit provides the following hospice services for the terminal illness and related conditions:

* Expert Nursing Care and Symptom Management;

* Social Worker Services;

* Skilled Physical Care by Certified Nurse Assistants;

* Patient Family Teaching;

* Spiritual Support;

* Volunteer Support;

* Grief Counseling for the patient and family;

* Medical Direction and Advice by Hospice Physicians;

Sangre de Cristo Hospice & Palliative Care is available 24 hours a day to include weekends and
holidays. Care from a provider not authorized by the elected hospice may not be covered.

How to start a referral:

Referrals for hospice and palliative services can be made by a patient's personal physician. Family, friends,
clergy or other health professionals can also refer a patient for a hospice consult.

To initiate the referral process, contact Sangre de Cristo Hospice & Palliative Care 24-hours a day
by calling:

719-542-0032 in Pueblo

719-275-1261 in Canon City

719-738-2588 in Walsenburg

or by email: admissions@socohospice.org

People make the difference. Staff, volunteers, patients, families, donors, board members and many more
have all helped to create the vital community asset that is Sangre de Cristo Hospice & Palliative Care. Under
the guidance of the Medical Director, hospice nurses play a vital role in the planning and delivery of patient
care. Our nurses provide a specialized and compassionate type of care. From assessment to intervention,
nurses work closely with the patient, caregiver, family, personal physician and Medical Director to determine
the best means of managing symptoms and pain related to the patient's disease. Physical comfort and
quality of life are driving forces behind care plan development and implementation. Additionally, educating
patients and their families about what to expect through the disease process and continually assessing
changes inpatients' status and needs further enhances their comfort.

Nurses are on call 24-hours a day, seven days a week to ensure availability when they are needed.

Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs), under direction of the hospice nurse, assist with personal care of the
patient.
Bathing, preparing meals, shopping, changing bed linens for patients, and changing non-sterile dressings
are just a few of the many beneficial tasks performed by CNAs as part of the care team.