Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula expanding outpatient palliative services in 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Communication and Marketing: (831) 625-4505
The expansion is in response to a significant community need and the result of a generous donation from the Snorf Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.
MONTEREY, CA. — Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s palliative services will undergo a robust outpatient service expansion in 2024 to better meet the needs of the community. Full-time outpatient services will replace the current limited-hour structure to support more patients and their families who may benefit from specialized care for serious or life-limiting illnesses.
The expanded community-based services will feature full-time clinic hours, telehealth appointments, expert symptom management, patient and caregiver education, care goals, and psychosocial and spiritual support.
“Patients deserve care in appropriate settings that fit their personal needs and goals,” says Dr. John Hausdorff, Montage Health’s Supportive and Palliative Care Medical Director. “Patients who were going to the Emergency department and experiencing lengthy inpatient hospitalizations will now see increased access to more appropriate care settings.”
The expansion will increase access to care and reduce long wait times currently experienced by Monterey County palliative care patients. The hospital estimates the expansion will increase capacity by more than 600 percent, reduce avoidable Emergency department visits and inpatient stays, and enhance care for existing palliative care patients.
The program’s outpatient enhancements will reduce the burden of illness and increase quality of life for patients, families, and caregivers, improve end-of-life care and timing for hospice transitions, improve goal coordination during healthcare setting transitions, and reduce the burden on primary and specialty providers, further increasing access to care for the community.
“This expansion, thanks to the generosity of the Hicks-Snorf family, will dramatically increase our ability to improve the well-being of patients in our community needing palliative care,” says Dr. Steven Packer, Montage Health President and CEO. “This is a prime example of what is possible when philanthropy and healthcare work hand-in-hand to achieve our common goal of optimizing community health.”
The expansion is made possible by a $250,000 gift from the Hicks-Snorf family to Montage Health Foundation, made in memory of local resident Leslie Snorf who was a longtime board leader and supporter of Montage Health. Leslie served on the Montage Health board of trustees for three years and was a founding member and board chair of the Montage Health Foundation board of trustees for six years before she passed away in 2022. Leslie was also a philanthropic champion for many important health causes including cancer care, women’s health, stroke care, and improving access to healthcare for our community.
“Leslie was an amazing human being, and it was an honor to know her and work with her as a board leader and supporter,” says Kevin Causey, Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Montage Health. “Her generous gifts of time, service, leadership, and philanthropy will have a lasting impact for our community, and her family continues to honor her legacy through this meaningful gift in her memory.”
More information about the expansion will be available soon on the Montage Health website. Visit montagehealth.org/palliative to learn more about our palliative care services.
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ABOUT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, established in 1934, has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. Its parent company is Montage Health, the umbrella for entities that work together to deliver exceptional care and inspire the pursuit of optimal health. Community Hospital is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 220 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through locations including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility (Westland House), Hospice of the Central Coast, Montage Wellness Centers, and business offices. Find more information about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at chomp.org.
ABOUT MONTAGE HEALTH
Montage Health is the local, nonprofit parent company of a family of organizations dedicated to improving lives by delivering exceptional care and inspiring the pursuit of optimal health. Through its subsidiaries and its partnerships with doctors and other clinicians, healthcare and community organizations, and, most importantly community members, Montage Health is dedicated to care that is coordinated across all care settings to meet each person’s goals and needs. Montage Health companies include Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Medical Group, Montage Health Foundation, Montage Wellness Center, Aspire Health, and MoGo Urgent Care. For more information, visit montagehealth.org.
ABOUT MONTAGE HEALTH FOUNDATION
Montage Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization that inspires and coordinates philanthropic support for Montage Health. Montage Health Foundation supports the work of Montage Health through grant-making, volunteerism, and philanthropic partnerships with community members and like-minded organizations. Find more information about Montage Health Foundation at montagehealthfoundation.org.
