Hospice is much more than a place, it is a philosophy; a special way of caring for patients and families facing end-of-life issues. Hospice specializes in “comfort” care: treatments and therapies that focus on controlling symptoms, managing pain and providing holistic care. When curing an illness is no longer an option, hospice provides physical, emotional and spiritual support.

Hospice emphasizes quality of life for patients and their families, using a team of professionals and trained volunteers. The philosophy is to affirm life and neither hasten nor postpone death. Hospice treats the person, not just the disease. Hospice professionals believe that a terminal illness is part of the entire spectrum of life. Hospice care enables the dying person and their family to face the challenges of life’s last days with dignity, courage and strength.

Since 1994, Spirit Mountain Hospice, a non-profit organization, has provided outpatient hospice services to hundreds of patients and families within a 50-mile radius of Cody. Hospice serves as an integral part of the continuum of care provided by West Park Hospital.

Spirit Mountain Hospice is a Medicare/Medicaid licensed provider. The focus is on comfort care rather than curative care and relies heavily on the combined knowledge and skill of an interdisciplinary team of professionals: physicians, nurses, medical social workers and therapists, spiritual counselors, home care aides and volunteers who coordinate an individualized plan of care for each patient and family. Services are provided primarily in clients’ homes and include medical, emotional and spiritual care for terminally ill patients and their families to bring them comfort, peace and a sense of dignity at a very trying time. Hospice reaffirms the right of every patient and family to participate fully in the final stages of life.

A hospice house is a safe, peaceful home away from home for teminally ill patients, both young and elderly, and their families. It offers an important option for people who need end-of-life care in a safe and loving environment. A professional staff provides comfort care and other hospice services 24-hours a day, seven days-a-week for patients unable to stay at home. Each patient has a private bedroom and accommodations for a family member. The house is designed to provide a professional, family-friendly environment for patients to receive the care and support needed during the end of life.