Who We Are

It’s not just part of our name – “care” is the essence of who we are. We opened our doors in 1980 as a community-based, non-profit organization as Hospice of St. Joseph County, thanks to the efforts of many community members from a variety of fields. Since welcoming the first of the more than 47,000 patients in 1980, we have improved the quality of living in our community through hospice, home health, grief counseling and community education.

Serious illness can touch everything in your life, from daily routines to your deepest held traditions and beliefs. It also reaches beyond you as an individual to affect everyone who loves you. Each family’s experience is different. Each person’s story is unique. And in life’s most profound moments, everyone deserves care that sees all of them.

That’s why Center for Hospice Care provides unique support for each patient and their family. Unlike franchised one-size-fits-all models where care is dictated from out-of-state, we’ve grown from this community, for this community. We’ve spent over 40 years as part of northern Indiana’s fabric, learning what families here of all backgrounds and beliefs truly need. Sitting at your kitchen tables, walking these same hospital halls, and celebrating lives well-lived as a part of our communities.

While others may offer the minimal amount of care allowed by insurance, our promise always remains the same:

• No one in our community faces serious illness alone.
• No family navigates these decisions without support and guidance.
• No person is reduced to their medical needs.
• And no one is ever turned away because they can’t pay.

With Center for Hospice Care, patients and their families receive more support, relief and guidance sooner – with comprehensive serious illness care that can begin months or even years earlier than hospice care alone. Even those with the most complex symptoms will receive expert care, thanks to our experienced clinical teams capable of managing high-acuity conditions, along with specialized care programs dedicated to meeting the unique challenges that each patient and family may face.

No one should face serious illness without skilled, compassionate support that honors the fullness of who they are. Here, people are not cases to be managed but neighbors to be served, supported by those who consider it a privilege to walk beside them.

Vision

To be the premier hospice and palliative care organization for all end-of-life issues.

Values

Compassion, Dignity, Innovation, Integrity, Quality, Service, Stewardship

Center for Hospice Care serves nine counties in northern Indiana: Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Porter, St. Joseph and Starke. If you reside in one of these counties, we can help you. Just call 574-243-3100, anytime day or night.

To serve our patients and families throughout northern Indiana, our offices are in Mishawaka, Elkhart, Plymouth and La Porte. Our administration offices, Hospice Foundation and the Joel and Elizabeth Welch Life Transition Center (which houses our grief and bereavement services) are in Mishawaka by Central Park.

We are the only hospice provider in our service area that operates two Medicare-certified inpatient care facilities, “Esther’s House” on our Elkhart Campus and the “Ernestine M. Raclin House” on our Mishawaka Campus. These conveniently located facilities provide a “home away from home” for patients who need supervised around-the-clock care, short-term care for symptom management and when a caregiver needs a brief respite. Learn more about our inpatient services.

You are always welcome to visit any of our offices during regular business hours. We’d be happy to give you a tour and answer any questions you may have about hospice and palliative care.

If you are outside our nine-county service area and are looking for a hospice provider, call 844-GET-NPHI to find a local non-profit agency.

Supporting and guiding the activities of Center for Hospice Care is a group of women and men in leadership positions throughout the community. The board meets several times a year to review progress, discuss long-term plans, and ensure we remain true to our mission.