A Columbus family has provided a lead gift creating an endowment to support palliative support services through Our Hospice of South Central Indiana and Columbus Regional Health.
Ruth, Rick, Alice and Jenny Johnson have established the Johnson Family Endowment to support the palliative services program, giving one-fourth of the $4 million needed for long-term sustainability for the program, said Laura Leonard, Our Hospice president.
Palliative care is a specialized type of medical service offering relief from symptoms of individuals with serious illness, to improve their quality of life. Developed as a new medical specialty within the last decade, it provides services to fill in the gap in the continuum of care when an individual is suffering with unresolved symptoms or side-effects during treatment, Leonard said.
Palliative care provides relief from symptoms of advanced illness such as cancer, heart and lung disease by offering treatment for disease-related symptoms such as anxiety, depression, stress, shortness of breath and discomfort from side effects of treatment including nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue or sores. This type of treatment would be offered while the patient is undergoing continuing care for their serious illness, and before hospice services are requested.
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Philanthropic history
The Johnson family has a long history of philanthropy in Columbus and throughout Indiana, including donating $1 million to the Indiana University Kelley School of Business to create the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and creating the Johnson Center for Innovation and Translational Research at Indiana University.
Members of the Johnson family, hospice officials and CRH leaders announced the family’s most recent donation Thursday afternoon at the Our Hospice facility, 2626 E. 17th St.
Ruth Johnson said her family has been blessed with high-quality health care in the Columbus community, saying CRH services and hospice services were accessed to help her husband Dick Johnson before his 2009 death.
Dick and Ruth Johnson started Johnson Oil in 1957, which included the Bigfoot convenience store chain, sold to Circle K parent company Couche-Tard in 2001. The couple had two children, Jenny Johnson and Rick Johnson, whose spouse is Alice Johnson. Rick Johnson is president and CEO of Johnson Ventures, Columbus.
The family wanted to acknowledge their appreciation of the care that Our Hospice and CRH provides to the community and to give back in an area of health care that is a missing piece in the continuum of care for local patients, she said.
Program vision
The strategic vision for the program includes offering palliative care as an outpatient service on the second level of the Our Hospice center, where a clinic would be located, providing care five days a week. Medical professionals trained in palliative care and support staff would serve an estimated 50 patients weekly, partnering with Columbus Regional Health, according to materials provided by Our Hospice.
Right now, the cost of palliative care, other than a physician consultation, is not reimbursed under traditional health care insurance, as once was the case with hospice care, and the family’s gift is bridging that gap and starting the process of establishing a program in Columbus in the hopes that eventually, insurance reimbursement will follow as it did with hospice, Leonard said.
“We’re very hopeful others will find a way to give,” to support palliative care services, Ruth Johnson said.
Dr. Tom Sonderman, vice president and chief medical officer at Columbus Regional Health, estimated one or two patients a day at Columbus Regional Hospital would be eligible for palliative care services, and perhaps five to eight a day who are already receiving treatment could benefit from the care.
Palliative care offers the opportunity for patients to transition from inpatient to outpatient services being managed seamlessly and broadens the ability of doctors and caregivers to meet specific needs without a crisis visit to the emergency room, Sonderman said.
Dr. Diane Danley, Our Hospice medical director, said some patients with chronic disease become frequent emergency department visitors, evolving into a vicious cycle of treatment leading to symptoms that need to be relieved. Though palliative care, the patient and doctors establish goals going forward, address symptoms and clarify the care that will be needed going forward in the journey through a serious illness, she said.
Gift’s impact
CRH president and CEO Jim Bickel said the Johnson gift is a tremendous accelerator for the palliative care program and a symbol of the ongoing support from the family for CRH.
The hospital’s goal is to provide continuity of care — to be a patient’s partner for life for health care, and the palliative care program and the Johnsons’ support clearly fits into that vision, he said.
“This means so much to the entire health care organization and to the entire community,” Bickel said.
Ellen Brunner, director of gift planning for Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation and Our Hospice, said the foundation will begin an ongoing fundraising effort for the endowment to add to the Johnson family gift to create a sustainable palliative care program.
The timing for the outpatient palliative service to begin is undetermined, but plans are underway to begin setting up the infrastructure for the needed medical record technology as early as late spring or early summer this year, Leonard said. The program will initially focus on patients who are in advanced stages of illnesses of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, as well as cancer patients.
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Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, 2626 E. 17th St., is a not-for-profit, community-based hospice providing care to individuals with life-limiting conditions and their families since 1980. Our Hospice cares for patients and families in 16 counties including Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Shelby counties from offices in Columbus, North Vernon and Greensburg.
For more information, visit ourhospice.org or call 800-841-4938 Ext. 8000.
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What does palliative care mean?
The word palliative means relief. Palliative care is specialized medical care that provides relief from symptoms of advanced illness such as cancer, heart and lung disease.
What can palliative care be used for?
Palliative care is provided in coordination with the patient’s physician to relieve chronic disease-related symptoms such as anxiety, depression, stress, or shortness of breath; and also treats discomfort from side effects of treatments such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue or sores.
How does this type of care help my loved one? What are the options?
Palliative care provides an improved quality of life for the patient and the family. Through the attention of a multidisciplinary team that includes medical staff, nurses, and social workers distressing symptoms are identified and controlled; hospitalizations are reduced; and practical and emotional issues are addressed. Research has shown that palliative care has a life-extending effect.
How do I know if palliative care is right for my loved one?
A consultation with your physician specialist and the Palliative Care Team will help you and your loved one understand how the program will provide support as well as when the time is right to pursue services.
Does palliative care stop or change the current medications and treatments my loved one is undergoing?
Palliative care complements the team of specialists that manage the advanced illness. Additional medications may be recommended to improve comfort and enhance quality of life. Changes in existing medications are only made in coordination and consult with the patient’s specialist physician, and intended only to reduce the burden that some medications cause on patients.
How is Palliative care paid?
The physician consult for palliative care is the only part of the care that is currently reimbursed by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Neither the work of the multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, social workers and support staff, nor the physical location or equipment necessary, are reimbursed. Philanthropy is essential to funding this type of care and support for patients.
How is palliative care different from hospice care?
All hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is end-of-life care. Palliative care is offered concurrently with a curative treatment by a team that can include doctors, nurses and other specialists who work with a patient’s other medical providers to offer an extra layer of support during treatment of a complex and advanced disease or illness which can last many months or years. Hospice care is provided when the patient and care team have concluded that treatment to pursue a cure is no longer possible. Hospice care then becomes the best option for optimal care during the last part of a person’s life.
How long do palliative care treatments last?
Palliative care can be a regular outpatient appointment when the patient’s specialist physician makes a referral to palliative care, or may be provided as a bedside consult for a patient in a hospital setting. An appointment can last up to 45 minutes depending on the needs of each patient. Treatment can be continued for months or years as long as the patient and his or her physician agree that it is accomplishing the goals of relieving symptoms, enhancing the quality of life for the patient and family, and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations.
Who is involved in the palliative care medical program? Is it overseen by a doctor?
The physician specialist of the patient will remain as the patient’s main care provider. The palliative team, led by the Palliative Support Center medical director will support the specialist physician. Palliative care will also include an interdisciplinary team of medical professionals such as nurses, social workers and support personnel.
How will the $4 million needed to start and sustain the palliative care services be used?
Funds raised will ensure palliative care services for patients and families is sustained long-term by providing resources for care that is not reimbursed and requires philanthropy. The physician consultation for palliative care is the only part of the care that is currently reimbursed by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Neither the work of the multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, social workers and support staff, nor the physical location or equipment necessary are reimbursed.
— Source: Our Hospice of South Central Indiana
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To learn more about the Johnson Family Endowment and the fundraising effort to create a $4 million bequest for the long-term sustainability of a palliative care program through Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, visit https://support.foundation.crh.org/ of call 812-376-5100.
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