In response to rapid growth of the aging population and increased demand for compassionate hospice and palliative care services, Hosparus Health announced the launch of its 5-year, $24 million comprehensive fundraising campaign. The People of Compassion Campaign will address five critical areas of need: service enhancements and operational support; Louisville expansion; regional expansion; endowments and business development; and long-term sustainability through deferred gifts.
Pew Research Center estimates 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 every day until 2030. That translates to millions of adults living with chronic conditions that may shorten their life expectancy and dramatically impact their quality of life. Without a coordinated plan of care in the right setting, many of them will be caught in the revolving door of emergency rooms and doctors’ offices. This not only creates needless stress for patients and their caregivers, the increase in hospitalizations brings millions of dollars in unnecessary healthcare cost.
The hospice model of care has long been shown to have tremendous benefits to quality of life. The newest research from Trella Health shows it could also save more than $27,000 in costs per patient in the last months of life.
Hosparus Health has provided compassionate care for patients and families facing serious illness wherever they call home since 1978. Its care teams are recognized and respected across the country for innovation and expertise in hospice and palliative care for the most complex health issues. In 2017, the organization expanded its service offerings for adults beyond traditional hospice care, which is limited to the last six months of life, to include advanced illness care, also called palliative care. Hosparus has been providing this type of long-term supportive care to medically fragile children through its Kourageous Kids program since 1980. Palliative care can be provided at any stage of illness for weeks, months or even years.
As a not-for-profit organization, Hosparus provides services that are not covered by insurance — including grief counseling and palliative care — at a low cost or free of charge, as well as hospice services to those who are uninsured and under-insured.
“We’ve experienced tremendous growth over the past decade,” says President and CEO Phil Marshall. “In just a few short years, we have doubled the number of patients we serve each day. In 2019, we cared for 8,800 patients in our 41-county service area in Kentucky and Indiana. As we see more and more people taking back control of their care and demanding to live better longer, that number will continue to grow. Because we don’t turn anyone away for our services due to lack of ability to pay, we rely on generous donors for ongoing support.”
“Our ambitious, People of Compassion Campaign is vital to expanding and enhancing our care,” adds Vice President of Development Tawanda Lewis Owsley. “It is the catalyst for launching some major initiatives to better serve our community, and it will allow us to reach more families who are navigating the challenges of serious illness — and reach them sooner in the trajectory of their disease.”
Hosparus Health launched the quiet phase of its campaign in 2017, with the plan to raise 60% of the goal by the time of the public announcement. To date, the organization has raised $21.75 million — more than 90% of its goal.
The largest gift to the campaign came from the estate of the late businessman, Jim Ryan, in the amount of $2.5 million. Planned gifts overall were a huge early boost to the campaign – Hosparus Health has received a total of $5,885,560 in bequest intentions since 2017.
Significant corporate and foundation gifts include: a total of $425,000 in grants from the Irvin F. and Alice S. Etscorn Foundation, $207,000 from the WHAS Crusade for Children, $166,037 from Kosair Charities, a $100,000 grant from the Indigo Foundation and gifts totaling $102,050 from Republic Bank.
The Hosparus Health Thrift Shoppes in Elizabethtown and Campbellsville have contributed over $1.6 million to the campaign so far. The balance of the funds raised to date have come from individual donors.
Because of successful early fundraising efforts, Hosparus Health has completed several campaign projects ahead of schedule, as noted below. Campaign initiatives include:
Service Enhancements & Operational Support, $8.95 million:
- $7 million in general operating support
- $850,000 for adult palliative services
- $600,000 for the Kourageous Kids pediatric hospice and palliative care program
- $500,000 for specialty disease management programs, including the successful Heart Connection heart disease program, and new programs focused on lung disease and memory care
Louisville Expansion, $6.55 million:
- $2.25 million for the renovation and relocation of corporate offices to the Leadership Innovation Center at 6200 Dutchmans Lane (completed in July 2020)
- $2.5 million for expansion of grief counseling services, including renovation and relocation of offices to the Leadership Innovation Center
- $1.5 million for renovation and relocation of offices for Clinical & Kourageous Kids Teams to the Leadership Innovation Center
- $300,000 for improvements in Inpatient Care Services
Regional Expansion, $1.25 million:
- $250,000 to expand services in Southern Indiana, with the opening of a new office in Jasper (completed September 2019)
- $250,000 to expand geographic reach and depth of hospice and palliative services in Bowling Green region
- $250,000 to expand the geographic reach and depth of hospice and palliative services and add staff in the Elizabethtown region
- $500,000 for the construction of a new community center and service expansion in the Campbellsville area
Endowments and Business Development, $1.5 million:
- $250,000 for a Technology Platform Fund to support IT innovation, including electronic medical records and telehealth technology (TapCloud implementation completed in April 2020 in response to COVID-19)
- $500,000 for an Employee Assistance Fund to provide scholarships, training and emergency funds
- $650,000 for a Patient & Family Fund to fill one-time emergency needs for patients and families, such gas and grocery cards, other basic needs and bill payment
- $100,000 for an Integrative Therapies Fund to bring holistic services such as art and music therapies, massage therapy and Reiki to patients and their families
Deferred Gifts, $5.75 million:
- Revocable and irrevocable deferred gifts to ensure the long-term viability of hospice and palliative care services
“I’m astounded by the generosity of our community,” says Owsley. “We are so grateful for the many donors who have given to the campaign so far. Their support is a huge endorsement of our care, and it has provided us with incredible momentum as we move forward to raise the remaining funds. We need broad support from both individuals and businesses to raise the last $2.25 million by the close of the campaign on Dec. 31, 2021, and guarantee that everyone who needs us has access to our crucial services, regardless of their ability to pay.”
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