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I’LL BE BREAKING THAT DOWN. COMING UP. ALL RIGHT JASON, THANK YOU. AN AMES HOSPICE FACILITY IS CLOSING ITS DOORS. KAREN ISRAEL FAMILY HOSPICE HOUSE WILL END BY 2026. SO RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, ����vlog PEPPER PURPURA TALKED TO A SPOKESPERSON FOR MARY GREELEY MEDICAL TODAY, WHO SAYS THERE WILL STILL BE OPTIONS FOR END OF LIFE CARE. AFTER MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY CARING FOR PEOPLE AT THE END OF THEIR LIVES. WE’VE MADE THE VERY DIFFICULT DECISION TO CLOSE OUR HOSPICE HOUSE EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 31ST, 2025. STEVE SULLIVAN IS A SPOKESPERSON FOR MARY GREELEY MEDICAL CENTER. HE SAYS THE DECISION IS A RESPONSE TO PATIENTS PREFERENCES. WE’VE SEEN GROWTH IN OUR HOME HOSPICE SERVICE ON AVERAGE. MARY GREELEY’S IN-HOME HOSPICE TEAM IS SERVING 40 PATIENTS A DAY, COMPARED TO JUST FOUR AT THE FACILITY OR FEWER AT TIMES. SOMETIMES WE HAVE NO PATIENTS AND WE HAVE TO CLOSE THE HOUSE. THE COST IS ALSO INCREASING. THE HOSPICE SERVICE IS SUBSIDIZED FOR PATIENTS THANKS TO FUNDRAISING DONATIONS TO COVER THE SHORTFALL HAVE GROWN FROM $400,000 TO AROUND A MILLION LAST YEAR. BUT EVEN ONCE THE DOORS ARE PERMANENTLY CLOSED, THAT THE SOUTH DAKOTA AVENUE HOME, SULLIVAN SAYS CARE WILL CONTINUE. IN ADDITION TO MARY GREELEY’S IN-HOME HOSPICE SERVICE, SULLIVAN SAYS THERE WILL BE SPACE FOR HOSPICE CARE AT THE HOSPITAL ON DEWEY AVENUE AND AMES. THERE IS ALSO A PLAN IN PROGRESS TO PARTNER WITH OTHER HOSPICE FACILITIES IN THE AREA. THAT IS NOT FINALIZED YET. RIGHT NOW, 17 PEOPLE WORK FOR THE ISRAEL FAMILY HOSPICE HOUSE, SULLIVAN SAYS SOME OF THEM WILL JOIN THE HOSPICE CARE TEAM. THE HOSPITAL IS LOOKING INTO OTHER POSITIONS FOR THE REST OF THE STAFF. THERE ARE NO PLANS YET TO REPURPOSE OR SELL THE BUILDING. THE HOSPITAL SAYS ANY DONATIONS TO THE ISRAEL FAMILY HOSPICE HOUSE WILL BE ALLOCATED TO OTHER HOSPICE PROGRAMS IN AMES. ����vlog EIGHT NEWS IOWA’S NEWS LEADER AND THE HOSPITAL’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL MEET ON TUESDAY TO FINALIZE THE DECISION IN A VOTE. THIS CLOSURE FOLLOWS A TREND WE’VE BEEN SEEING IN IOWA FOR AT LEAST THE PAST TWO YEARS. BACK IN 2023, MERCYONE STOPPED ADMITTING PATIENTS AT THE JOHNSTON HOSPICE HOUSE, THE DES MOINES HOSPICE CENTER IS STILL OPEN. BACK IN FEBRUARY, UNITYPOINT MADE THE DECISION TO CLOSE FORT DODGE’S BABER HOSPICE HOME. UNITYPOINT HEALTH FORT DODGE STILL OFFERS IN-HO