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Phone
406.532.3200
Partners Hope Foundation started as a group of community and healthcare professionals. We witnessed firsthand the heartbreak of individuals dying alone and the struggles dying individuals and families face when seeking quality care at the end of life. We visited hospice facilities throughout the country and conducted an operational feasibility study. Initial findings were sobering and confirmed the tangible need for a dedicated hospice facility:
In Montana,
40% of people over the age of 75 live alone, making it difficult to have optimum in-home hospice care.
Our community
is aging at a greater rate than the rest of the country, making end-of-life issues and education essential.
Rural Montanans
make up 75% of our state’s Medicare population resulting in limited access to end-of-life healthcare.
Western Montana has been a pioneer in end-of-life care. From 1998 – 2001, the Missoula Demonstration Project (later known as Life’s End Institute) researched dying focusing on the medical, psychological and spiritual care that improves the quality of life throughout the dying process. The nationally recognized research was based on the premise that illness, personal caregiving, death and grief are fundamental parts of the lives of individuals, families and our community, not only a medical problem. Missoula was also home to the Chalice of Repose Project at Providence St. Patrick Hospital. The Project provided training in palliative care and music thanatology.
Informed by our rich history and amplified by the growing need, the board developed the following mission, vision and guiding principles for an end-life facility.
We envision a community where the end of life can be enriching and transformative.
Our mission is to build and sustain a state-of-the-art hospice center that provides end-of-life care, education and support for our community.
past president
secretary
treasurer
Partners Hope Foundation recognizes Missoula’s rich history of providing end-of-life support and services. By partnering with existing healthcare providers, we seek to build upon what has been accomplished in hospice care as we move forward to meet the end-of-life care needs of our community. Together, we will provide seamless access to services and state-of-the-art care for individuals, families and our community.
Partners In Home Care and Partners Hope Foundation’s shared values have led to our first collaborative agreement. Partners In Home Care is the largest nonprofit home health and hospice care provider in Western Montana. Established in 1987, PHC serves individuals and families in a 100-mile radius of Missoula, including residents in Missoula, Lake, Ravalli, Granite, Mineral and Sanders counties.
PHC’s history of commitment to the patients and families it serves is the foundation of their steadfast reputation in our community. Through our partnership, we look forward to building upon PHC’s expertise and creating a facility that offers community members an enriching and transformative end-of-life experience.
