Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care
A Leader in Supportive Care for 40 Years and Counting
Serving thousands of patients and families each year, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care offers the community both expertise and compassion at the highest levels.
How do you serve a community for decades with an unwavering commitment to supportive care, no matter the stage of life-limiting illness? Further, how is this accomplished while simultaneously providing that care with unmatched expertise, compassion and a servant’s heart? When that organization is Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, supporting the community takes full precedence over anything else, making sure patients and families alike receive the comfort and compassion they need at a time it is needed most.
While there are numerous hospices in the metro area, there is only one Kansas City Hospice, a long-standing organization that offers a wide range of programs providing comprehensive expert care for people of all ages and at any stage of serious illness. Kansas City Hospice has tirelessly demonstrated the care they provide is far more about the quality of life than about death itself.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Kansas City Hospice, a 501(c)(3) organization, continues to honor and uphold its mission: to bring expert care, peace of mind, comfort, guidance, and hope to people who are affected by life-limiting illness or by grief. And, our vision is each person in our community is valued from life through death and each family is supported in their grief.
A comprehensive approach to care with a comprehensive offering of services
Pamela Harris, MD, FAAPMR, FAAHPM, is the Director of Medical Programs at Kansas City Hospice and has been with the organization for 14 years. She has witnessed significant changes within that time.
Dr. Harris noted most patients who receive care are in their own homes or in facilities such as assisted living or skilled nursing. “When care becomes too complicated to take place in the home and patients cannot manage their symptoms well, Kansas City Hospice offer two inpatient facilities.”
Kansas City Hospice House is located in south Kansas City and Northcare Hospice House is on the campus of North Kansas City Hospital.
Over the years, Kansas City Hospice has gained a solid reputation for award-winning palliative care professionals with unmatched expertise, including physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, chaplains, CNAs, grief support specialists and art/music therapists. The organization also relies on hundreds of dedicated volunteers who bring a wide range of services to the patients and their families. The entire team provides unparalleled care for patients of all ages at all intervals of serious illness, supporting not only the patient but also the families.
Among some of the notable programs offered through Kansas City Hospice include Carousel Pediatric & Perinatal Team, which provides palliative care and hospice to children and teens and also during pregnancy when the unborn child has a life-limiting condition; and the Solace House for Passages, a center for grief and healing offering individual and family counseling services, plus peer group support from age 3 through adult.
Continued Growth: The University of Kansas Medical Center Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
Just as the services, programs and overall commitment to care has grown throughout the decades, Kansas City Hospice introduced a Fellowship program in 2005. This is a one-year program offering robust clinical training to clinicians focused on care of patients with advanced illness.
“We are graduating our 15th fellowship class and our incoming class, which begins on July 1, will include our 41st fellow,” stated Lindy H. Landzaat DO, FAAHPM, Associate Professor, Palliative Medicine Division Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Director with the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Dr. Landzaat noted the KU Fellowships began as a partnership with Kansas City Hospice, and as the programs expanded, they now have additional partnerships with North Kansas City Hospital and Children’s Mercy Hospital & Clinics. The Kansas City Hospice program offers two training tracks, one focused on pediatrics and the other focused on adults.
“The Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellows train alongside experienced doctors and interdisciplinary teams to gain the comprehensive skills needed to deliver high-quality, patient and family-centered care for those who are going through a progressive illness and the related life changes,” according to Dr. Landzaat.
Signature fundraising events inspire the joy of giving to help sustain Kansas City Hospice
Caryn Hohnholt, Vice President of Development at Kansas City Hospice, is excited about their upcoming annual signature fundraising event, Sunday Night Live. This highly-anticipated celebration with food, fun and friends is an integral part of the organization’s efforts to raise the funds required to help supplement what Medicare or other insurances might not cover. Many patients rely on philanthropy to cover costs of care not typically reimbursed by insurance. This year, however, the fundraiser has hit somewhat of a stumbling block due to the effects of the coronavirus. The singular question remains: Will there or will there not be a social gathering on Sunday, October 11, 2020 down at the Power & Light District as previously planned?
“We don’t have a crystal ball,” emphasized Hohnholt. “There is definitely a lot of guessing. Should we host it live or do it all online or perhaps a hybrid of both? Plan A is to have a live event, with Plan B remaining an online version. Right now, it appears our Plan B is becoming our Plan A.”
But that’s okay. Hohnholt intends to stream the program, offering online games and opportunities to purchase tickets for raffle items. The fun will still be headlining; it will just take a different stage.
Another exciting event that stands as part of the organization’s fundraising efforts is the Craig “Satch” Sanders Memorial .1K Race.
“This is really a fun event,” expressed Hohnholt. “It is a run around the parking lot of Patrick’s Bar and No Grill in Waldo, which is a big part of our fundraising family. This is just a great time with drinks and food. Last year this event raised $39,000.”
While Hohnholt is still uncertain as to how or if this 12th annual event will be held this year, she hopes it can be accomplished in some format.
No matter how the fundraising events transpire this year, one thing remains certain: through the efforts of donors and volunteers, Kansas City Hospice is able to provide programs and services to people regardless of their ability to pay.
For more information on Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, go online at kchospice.org or call 816.363.2600. If you are interested in donating to Kansas City Hospice, go online at kchospice.org/donate
