Seasons Hospice expands to Owatonna, Blooming Prairie

A new option for end-of-life care is now available for area residents.

Seasons Hospice of Rochester has expanded its services to Owatonna and Blooming Prairie beginning this month. Though there is no physical location at this time, Seasons will offer in-home care services.

Officials from Seasons Hospice will celebrate the expansion during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. at the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce, 120 S. Oak Ave. They will also be available for a meet and greet with area residents.

The idea of expanding into Steele County came from the encouragement of the board members of Owatonna Homestead Hospice House, which closed last year when Allina Health pulled out of the arrangement.

“Before we take over the house, we want to make sure there is a need for our services,” said Kristina Wright-Peterson, executive director of Seasons Hospice. “We’re going to start homecare hospice and then look at how to get the house open again,” she said, adding the goal is to open the house by the end of the year.

Seasons has been serving the 30-to-40-mile radius of Rochester for the past 25 years, according to Wright-Peterson. “Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted to expand our services,” she said.

Wright-Peterson was on a family vacation along the North Shore last summer when an email popped up from Owatonna Homestead inquiring if Seasons would be interested in partnering with them. She immediately jumped at the chance.

“There is a love for the Homestead Hospice House,” said Wright-Peterson.

Seasons took its first referral from Steele County last Thursday.

“Our home-based hospice services are now being offered to patients wherever they call home—whether a private residence, a senior living facility or at our lovely Seasons Hospice House in Rochester,” Wright-Peterson said. The Rochester facility consists of eight beds.

She added opening Owatonna would provide two residential options for 24/7 care at the end of life.

Seasons has consistently earned a 4-star rating by Medicare.gov and was a recipient of the 2023 Hospice CAHPS Honors Award, a prestigious annual review recognizing agencies that continuously provide a positive patient experience and high-quality care as measured by the patient and caregiver experience.

At a time when many care facilities are experiencing a crisis in staffing, Seasons is in the enviable positive of being fully staffed. Seasons has a medical staff of 90, along with a network of 150 volunteers.

“This is good news for those who may be considering hospice services because Seasons Hospice believes that you and those you are about deserve the very best care during the end-of-life journey,” Wright-Peterson said.

Hospice care, she says, is a growing part of the medical world. The growth is being fueled by an aging population with increasing needs. For the first time ever, Medicare-aged adults outnumber student-aged population, she said. “There is a high demand for hospice.”

Wright-Peterson said anybody can call for their services, even without needing approval from a doctor.

For more information, go to www.seasonshospice.org or call 507-285-1930.

_____________________________________________

Expansion Celebration

Who: Seasons Hospice of Rochester

What: Open House with hospice staff

When: Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m.