What is the history of Hospice at Home?
In 1981, a group of individuals in Berrien County organized to determine the need for localized Hospice care. In June of 1981 the group officially became Board incorporated by the State of Michigan and Hospice at Home was launched. The first Hospice volunteer training was conducted in the spring of ’82, with the first patients being admitted in July of the same year. In 1984, Betty Matthews, an oncology nurse for South Haven Community Hospital , noticed that patients and families were left struggling and trying to cope after attempts at curative treatments were ended. Funded by the local hospital, Betty investigated hospices in Michigan, and as a result of her efforts, South Haven Area Hospice was created in February 1985. The first patient was admitted in March of the same year. In 1985 Hospice at Home became one of the first Hospices in the State to satisfy Michigan’s stringent licensing laws. In 1986, Hospice at Home received certification for both Medicare and Medicaid reimbursemen
