About Us
Our
Mission
To achieve our mission we will:
The mission of Klamath Hospice is to improve the end-of-life experience for the seriously ill and their families. KHI serves its mission by providing quality care to patients and families in the greater Klamath area and northern California regardless of individual circumstances and by advocating for and providing compassionate care, bereavement support and public education.
Respect the dignity of each individual.
Show compassion in all our interactions.
Respect each other’s spiritual beliefs.
Communicate openly and honestly.
Strive for excellence through education.
Celebrate our successes and learn from our setbacks.
Your care. Our mission.
About Klamath Hospice
In 1982, Klamath Hospice was founded on the dedicated work of volunteers and the support of a generous community, who wanted a model of care that would provide comfort, compassion and dignity for the dying. In 1979, the founders of Klamath Hospice, who were all volunteers at the time, began working on creating a hospice care model for the residents of Klamath County. On July 19, 1982, Klamath Hospice officially admitted their first patient. During those early years, volunteers provided care, while the community continued to provide the economic support. As Klamath Hospice grew, employees were hired and (with Medicare certification) revenue was increased through government and insurance payments.
Klamath Hospice is the only non-profit hospice in Klamath Falls and is a United Way agency. We are also the only hospice that services certain areas in Northern California that include the cities of Tulelake, Dorris, and Macdoel. We are a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Oregon Hospice Association, and the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association.
The tradition of hospice as a place of comfort and respite predates medieval times. The word “hospice” stems from the Latin word “hospitium” meaning guesthouse. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. During the 1960’s, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician, began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher’s Hospice near London. St. Christopher’s organized a team approach to professional care-giving and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974.
We carry on this tradition in our community today. We fill a very special need in our community for those individuals experiencing life-threatening illnesses and those who have been affected by loss. Our goal is to improve the quality of one’s last days by offering comfort and dignity. We attain this goal by helping the patient and their loved ones deal with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease. We work in a variety of settings which include patients’ homes, Adult Foster Care Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Residential Care Facilities and nursing homes.