Monroe County Hospital & Clinics and its affiliated Hospice partner, Monroe County Hospice, provide care for patients who have a terminal diagnosis of 6 months or less.  There is no charge to the patient or family for any services provided by Monroe County Hospice when related to the terminal illness.  Hospice Care is provided in the patient home, area nursing homes or hospital, when necessary.  Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies cover Hospice Care.  Hospice services include many terminal diagnoses ranging from cancer and heart disease to dementia and general debilitation.  Our team consists of three registered nurses with specialty training in hospice, palliative and end-of-life care, a social worker, and an interdisciplinary team including a medical director, pharmacist, and chaplain.

Nursing Services Provided Include

• Nursing with advanced specialty training in hospice, comfort, palliative, medication & end-of-life
• Pain & Symptom Management
• Disease Process Teaching
• Patient Care Teaching
• Skilled Nursing Assessments
• Home Visits As Needed
• Patient Advocates
• Support to Patient & Family
• Comfort Measures with Patient’s Personal Physician

Social Services Include

• Psychosocial Assessments
• Assist with Family Conferences
• Provide Patient/Family Support
• Assist in Finding Solutions to Financial Problems
• Individual Grief Counseling

Cost & Criteria for Hospice Care
There is no charge to the patient or family for any services provided by Monroe County Hospice related to the terminal illness.  Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies cover hospice care.  Donations and memorials are used to offset the expenses of hospice services.  Anyone can refer patients to hospice. 

Hospice services cover many terminal diagnoses including

• Cancers of all types
• Renal Disease
• Alzheimer’s & Dementia
• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Heart Disease
• Lung Disease
• Liver Disease
• CVA (stroke)
• General Debilitation

For more information, contact a member of the Monroe County Hospice Team at (641) 932-1701 or visit them at their office located at the Monroe County Hospital & Clinics, best accessed through the main parking lot utilizing the East 3 Entrance.

Department Manager
Kim Higginbotham, BSSW

Hospice Nurses
Marla Hoven, RN, CHPN
Tonya Logsdon, RN
Kim Murphy, RN

Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator
Melanie Briggs