VitalCare Hospice House

Hospice House was built as an alternative residence for hospice patients. Hospice House is located at 722 South Street in Cheboygan, between the Cheboygan River and the County Fairgrounds off of Lincoln Street .

Hospice House belongs to the community of Northern Michigan. In the early 1990s, VitalCare's hospice nurses began to advocate for the construction of a Hospice House for patients who did not have a caregiver or strong support system at home. Some of these patients lived 20 miles or more from town, and the nurses felt that these patients needed a stronger support system and that a Hospice House would meet that need.

VitalCare management at the time convened a Hospice House Task Force to study the questions: Their final report indicated that a House was in fact a community need. There was no other rural Hospice House in Northern Michigan; in fact, VitalCare's Hospice House would turn out to be the first rural Hospice House in the country. Up to that point, Hospice Houses had only been built in urban areas, where financial support from large corporations and foundations were available.

The Task Force traveled to other communities downstate and out of state to see how other Hospice Houses were designed and functioned. Architect Ron Tebo of Cheboygan designed Hospice House to meet those functional needs.

People from across northern Michigan donated money to help build Hospice House. Raffles were held; dinners events raised money. And individuals sent gifts, from $1 to $10,000 to help build Hospice House.

Ground was broken for Hospice House in September of 1994, and our first hospice residents arrived the following August.

Our Hospice House has eight private rooms. It is a beautiful building, inside and out. A large, comfortable gathering space allows patients and families to visit, when large groups gather. Meals are made to order to encourage patients' appetites, and they can enjoy company at the dining room table or take their meals in the privacy of their rooms.

Volunteers come and bake cookies daily.  Click here to read a Hospice House volunteer's comments.

Large decks outside of patient rooms give them a chance to enjoy warm weather; the doorways have been specially fitted to allow wheelchairs or even beds to be rolled out onto the decks. In the winter, every patient has their own personal Christmas tree on the deck. Community quilting groups have made cozy quilts for each room. Hospice House is a cheerful place where pets have played their own volunteer role in raising residents' spirits.

Each room has its own adjustable heating zone, because some diagnoses make people feel cold, while others have the opposite effect. Comfort was built into the very structure of Hospice House.

Several rooms have private showers; all have private bathrooms. In a room down the hall is the spiffy, $9000 hydraulic "deLorean" bathtub with a side lift "wing" panel that allows patients easy access. Hundreds of jets gently palpate sore muscles, while the position of the tub itself can be adjusted hydraulically to ensure that no sore spot on a resident's body will bear their weight against the tub. The tub has temperature control and a high-powered cleaning system to keep it germ-free. The designers of Hospice House took every opportunity to ensure the comfort of its residents.

Across from the "spa" is a fully-outfitted beauty shop. Local beauticians volunteer their time to keep residents well-groomed and feeling good about their appearance.

Visiting times are all times, dictated only by patient preference. Private rooms have adjustable beds, a small dining table with two chairs; a reclining lounge chair for spouses or visitors who wish to stay, and a TV/entertainment center.

The utilization of Hospice House has expanded, and today Hospice House is also used by working families who want to know their loved ones are well cared for during the work day. They are able to visit Hospice House as their schedule allows to visit with Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa.

To inquire about Hospice House, or to request a tour, call 1-800-342-7711.