Construction is complete!

Cilck here to read about the building dedication on Sept. 28, 2011.

Construction is almost complete on the 8-bed Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home in Russellville to serve the Arkansas River Valley community.

What are we building?
The Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home will focus on people whose disease no longer responds to curative treatment, offering hospice services in the most effective and efficient manner available in the comfort of a homelike
environment. The 8-bed facility, located in Russellville, will serve Conway, Johnson, Logan, Perry, Pope and Yell counties of west-central Arkansas.
The hospice home will be a visible symbol in the River Valley area, assuring residents that the best in end-of-life care is available for them.
The more than 7,000-square-foot building will have 8 private rooms situated in a comfortable and homelike setting. The hospice home will be located in a natural setting, on 6 acres of lovely meadowland at the foot of a forested hillside.

The hospice home will provide excellent residential end-of-life care, meeting the special needs of patients and families in their last days
together. Special attention was given in its design, creating a warm and nurturing environment to meet physical as well as emotional and spiritual needs. Thoughtful planning has ensured staff will have the tools necessary to assist their patients and families in the best ways possible.
A team of specially-trained nurses and hospice aides, a social worker, a
bereavement counselor, a chaplain and volunteers, led by a physician, will provide around-the-clock care, with a minimum nursing staff-to-patient ratio of 1:4.
Pain and other physical symptoms will be professionally managed and
monitored 24 hours a day. Patients and families will also find loving
support for their emotional and spiritual needs.

To help families feel more at home, there will be a great room with a
fireplace, a family room and a children’s play area. A meditation chapel will provide those seeking solace and comfort a quiet place to gather or reflect.
Windows will open to the forested hillside and bring the sunlight and a colorful landscape indoors. The grounds will include a large walking area, a water-feature, and native plants to attract a variety of songbirds.

Why are we building?
Hospice facilities focusing on end-of-life care for the terminally-ill are
located in cities across the nation and in several regions in Arkansas, but for the people of the River Valley, the closest facilities are 75 to 85 miles away in Little Rock or Ft. Smith, respectively. When patients from the River Valley are moved to these centers, family members and loved ones have a difficult time being with them on an extended basis. Consequently, both the patient and family miss valuable time and final days together.
The hospice home will employ approximately 12 medical and social work staff, including a medical director, nurses, social workers, chaplain, hospice aides and a bereavement counselor. The hospice home is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately $2 million flowing back to local communities in the form of salaries and payments for goods and services.

Donate to the River Valley Home

Click here to see photos of the groundbreaking!