Hospice partnership on track to meet first goal

It may be a comeback story for the ages.

When the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna closed its doors last year, it felt like another kind of death.

Allina Health made the announcement in July 2023, citing a decline in both labor force and patient numbers. The healthcare organization had operated the facility since it opened in 2005, after years of fundraising in the community to build the eight-bedroom house that provided residential end-of-life care.

The closure was the result of the same financial issue faced by most residential hospice settings: Insurance companies don’t pay the full cost for care, nor does Medicare.

The Homestead Hospice House Board of Directors remained intact – and determined to see the house reopened.

They found the perfect partner just down the road in Rochester, the healthcare Mecca of the Midwest.

There, Seasons Hospice operates one of just 13 hospice houses in the state, under the direction of Kristina Wright-Peterson.

She brought valuable experience, but she also brought a warning: Because residential hospice homes lose money each year, the community would need to be prepared to raise funds.

The first order of business was to raise $350,000 for start-up costs, including equipment, technology and staff.

That wasn’t all though. There would be a simultaneous push for another $500,000 in pledged support, which would cover one year of the community’s financial contribution for continued operations.

And finally, Wright-Peterson said, “this won’t be a one-and-done fundraiser; it will be a continual amount we’ll need annually.”

Oh – and there is a deadline: Dec. 1.

It’s a lofty goal, but Kasey Kamholz, president of the HHH board, sounds confident.

“We’re on a very, very positive track,” he said. At the start of talks between the boards of HHH and Seasons Hospice, “Seasons was saying this was an expensive deal, but we said, ‘no, we think the community will step up.’ No louder voice than those dollars, right?”

The first goal of $350,000 for start-up expenses has been met, he said, thanks to a series of informational meetings – and a generous community.

“It was overwhelming,” said Pat Buretta, an HHH board member. “We had standing room only for each presentation, and we sent them away with a beautifully handwritten point of clarification that Christina put together … so they could go forward and be our ambassadors and share the information and the story.”

Each of the three events also featured testimonials from “people who have received quality hospice care and knew the importance of residential hospice,” she said. “They really brought forward the individual donors – and we’ve just scraped the surface of the business community.”

That sector will be the focus after the new year.

“It’s the sustainability that we need to work on,” Kamholz said, referring to the $500,000 needed annually. “The startup (funding), yeah, we got that, but we need the community, the businesses around here … it’s not just Owatonna, it’s also Blooming Prairie and the rest of Steele County. I think it will help, being open.”

Wright-Peterson agreed.

“Many businesses want to see data and the impact on the community,” she said, “so we’re excited for when we’re able to show that – hopefully, once the house is open.”

Within the week, the boards will assess “where we are with the operational goal funds,” she said. “Then our plans are to share a more detailed update and timeline the week of Dec. 1.”

Whether it was chance or circumstance, the timing seems ideal.

“November is National Hospice Month,” Kamholz said. “The whole idea of hospice is very hard for people to talk about, but we just want people to know that to have hospice services available to those at that end chapter … It’s so valuable.”

The drive for support is reminiscent of the effort put forth back in 1987, when a dedicated group of people shared their vision of a peaceful place for the terminally ill to live their final days with dignity, and the families would receive the same care.

“Pat has said this many times, and I feel the same way,” said Kamholz. “It’s so hard to see (the hospice house) closed right now, knowing that all those people that put up all that money to get the place open in the first place – those folks are the ones that really need it right now.”

While much remains to be done, he said, “the good news is, honestly, we’re going to wind up with a better situation than we had before, because we have two non-profits – the best of the best available – and they’re just waiting to do their magic for the people in this community and the surrounding area.

“It’s a good partnership, with very, very good folks. It was meant to be.”