1. Give me a brief history of your company.
Hospice of Acadiana was established in 1983 by a group of forward-thinking individuals who believed that when medicine said there was nothing more that could be done, they felt there was still plenty more to do. As the ONLY nonprofit hospice provider in Acadiana, we provide the very best physical, emotional and spiritual care to individuals and their families as they transition through end of life.
2. What would you tell the rest of Acadiana makes you special?
What makes us so special are all of the support programs and services we offer to our patients, their families, and the community, including: No One Dies Alone, We Honor Veterans, Pet Peace of Mind, Casserole Brigade, Prayer Warriors, as well as our Center for Loss & Transition – which provides free grief counseling to anyone in our community.
Additionally, we are supported by nearly 20 volunteer physicians who make house calls – there is no other hospice program in the country that has this level of support from community doctors.
Also, Hospice of Acadiana is special because we are the ONLY nonprofit hospice provider in Acadiana – one of only two in the State. Additionally, we are the longest-serving hospice provider in Louisiana, the first hospice to be Medicare licensed, and we have the only Level 4 “We Honor Veterans” program in the State.
3. What are you most proud of?
At Hospice of Acadiana, we are most proud of the level of care and comprehensive support we provide to patients and their families. As a nonprofit, any profit that is generated is reinvested back into patient care. This provides us with a unique opportunity to always put the patient’s needs first, and allow us to do whatever we can to help our patients maximize the time they have left, and achieve a comfortable and peace-filled death.
4. Where do you see your business in 10 years? What are your plans for the future?
In 10 years, Hospice of Acadiana will be one of the premier hospice providers in the country, and looked to as a model of excellence in both hospice and palliative care.
5. 1A is “Focused on Forward” – meaning we are taking an active role of improving the community we live in. Our members are Focused on Forward too! – What does Focused on Forward mean to you? How is your company Focused on Forward?
For Hospice of Acadiana, Focused on Forward means continually raising the bar in terms of performance across all service areas – medical care, volunteer support, grief counseling, business management and operations, and especially, communications and outreach. For us Focused on Forward is continually assessing the needs of the community and then identifying and implementing ways to meet those needs. We intend to be leaders in the community, and a model organization both locally and nationally.