At Mercy Hospice, we focus on comfort, quality of life and provide holistic Christian care to patients facing terminal illness and their families.
What is Hospice? Hospice is a philosophy of care that provides comfort palliative care to patients when medical treatment is no longer an option.
 Why Mercy Hospice? We believe that quality of care is important at every stage of life and consider it ministry to provide medical care to patients facing a terminal illness and their loved ones. Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers are dedicated to their work at Mercy Hospice and strive to meet the needs of their patients emphasizing on quality of life.
Mercy Hospice offers:
- Board Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians
- Staff members trained through End of Life Nursing Education Consortium
- Payment for medications related to the terminal illness
- Service to patients residing in a 50 mile radius in Arkansas
- Hospital supplies and rental equipment
- Weekly visits
- Nurse aide care
- On-call nurse available 24/7
- Social services and spiritual counseling
- Physical and occupational therapy, speech pathology and dietary counseling
- Bereavement program and support groups
 Who can receive Hospice? A patient who has a terminal or life-threatening illness and, in a physician’s opinion, has six months or less to live can receive Hospice care. The individual must choose palliative or comfort care in place of aggressive, curative medical treatment.
How much does Hospice cost? Most patient costs are covered by Medicare, private insurance companies and Medicaid.
When should you call Mercy Hospice? The services provided at Mercy Hospice are available to assist patients and their families at all stages of life. You don’t need to wait for a terminal diagnosis to learn more about Mercy Hospice.
Where is Hospice care received? Mercy Hospice provides care wherever it is most appropriate for the patient, whether at home, in an alternative setting or the in-patient unit located at St. Edwards Mercy Medical Center.
How do we contact Mercy Hospice? To learn more about Mercy Hospice, refer a patient or request a consultation with a Mercy Hospice physician, please call 479-314-1150 or send us an email by clicking here.
About Mercy Hospice:
Mercy Hospice was founded in 1983 under the core values of The Sisters of Mercy which include dignity, justice, service, excellence and stewardship. Hospice strives to alleviate suffering and improve quality of life.
 Our program is a model of care for patients with chronic medical or life-limiting illnesses, which is delivered by a team of professionals and composed of but not limited to the following disciplines: medicine, nursing, social work, pastoral care, pharmacy and volunteers. It is delivered at the appropriate site of care within the health care continuum depending on the patient’s function and illness trajectory. The model of care primarily aims to relieve suffering and improve the patients’ and families’ quality of life.
Accredited by the Joint Commission, Mercy Hospice is also Medicare certified and provides service to patients of Fort Smith and its neighboring communities including those within a 50-mile radius in the state of Arkansas.
Mercy Hospice patients and families benefit from the services of our caring team, comprised of professional staff members and volunteers that share a common focus; comfort and quality of life, providing holistic Christian care to our patients facing a terminal illness and their families.
Members of the Mercy Hospice Team include:
- Medical Director – Oversees the hospice program and is available for consultation
- Physician – Directs the plan of care provided
- Nursing Staff – Makes regular home visits and is available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week for consultation and support
- Licensed Social Worker – Assists with end-of-life issues and provides emotional support
- Chaplain/Bereavement Coordinator – Provides spiritual support
- Volunteer – Provides the patient and family with assistance and companionship
- Dietician, Speech Pathologist, Occupational and Physical Therapist – Provides support, education and services as needed
- Pharmacist – Provides prescriptions for in-patient needs
- Home Health Aide – Assists the family in care giving so the patient may remain at home
Volunteer Program
Thank you for your interest in our volunteer program! The Mercy Hospice & Palliative Care program could not function properly without its valuable volunteers. We currently have volunteers located throughout the five counties we serve as well those who work at the in-patient unit located at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center.
Examples of services provided by volunteers include:
- Support and companionship
- Transportation to physician appointments
- Shopping assistance
- Babysitting for the family’s children
- Letter writing and reading to the patient
- Bereavement follow-up
- Light housekeeping
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you will need to complete 16 hours of classes which include the following:
- Medical and social issues
- Communication and listening skills
- Grief bereavement
- Infection control
- AIDS
- Spiritual issues
- Cultural diversity
- Ethics
- Mission and goals of hospice
Classes are offered in the fall and spring and are held at the Reynolds Cancer Support House located at 3324 South M Street in Ft. Smith. Please contact our Mercy Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, for class times and registration information.
Dianne Kitchen, CVM
(479) 314-1156 or (800)225-9743
Dianne.Kitchen@Mercy.Net
Information for providers
 Thank you for your interest in Mercy Hospice & Palliative Care. As a health care professional considering hospice care for your patient, you will appreciate our dedication to providing holistic care focusing on quality of life. The following information is a guide for medical professionals to be used when considering a referral.
Who should be referred for Hospice Care?
Mercy Hospice provides comprehensive physical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients faced with an advanced or life-limiting illness. Patients of all ages, with any of the following illnesses, may be appropriate for a hospice referral once eligibility criteria are met:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Cancer
- HIV/AIDS
- Severe birth defects
- Stroke
In addition, patients with the following end-stage diseases may also be hospice-appropriate:
- Alzheimer’s
- Cardiovascular disorder
- Dementia
- Renal disease
- Liver disease
- Lung disease
Please note that these are not exhaustive lists. To explore options, a Mercy Hospice representative will speak with patients and their loved ones at no charge to discuss possible hospice care.
Guides for Hospice Eligibility
Patients must meet the following eligibility criteria to be appropriate for hospice care:
- Adults, children and infants with a prognosis of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course
- Hospice can continue after six months as long as the patient continues to meet eligibility criteria
- Prognosis is certified by community and hospice physician
- Patient and family desire palliative care as opposed to curative treatment
Donate to Mercy Hospice
“Let charity be our badge of honor, our highest glory…cherishing and maintaining the virtue more by acts than words, so that it may truly be said that there is in us one heart and one soul in God.”
- Mother Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy
A gift to the St. Edward Mercy Foundation, no matter the size, will touch the lives of people throughout our community. Mercy Foundation, under the guidance of the Sisters of Mercy, exists to support the healing ministry of St. Edward Mercy Health Network. All gifts to the Mercy Foundation are tax deductible.
Tributes & Memorials – Honor those who have touched your life with a donation given in the form of cash, credit card, securities, real estate, life insurance or bequest. Each gift will be acknowledged to the person, or family, in whose name the gift is made.
Dedication Bricks and Pavers – A lasting tribute to your loved one, the brick and stone pavers will form a memorial plaza at the Centers for Excellence and are available in three sizes ranging in price from $100 and $250 to $1,000. Each is custom engraved.
Hospice Donor Recognition Tree – Designed to recognize major donors of the Hospice Endowment Fund, the four roots of the tree represent Mercy Hospice founders Ford Barnes, M.D., Mary Keith, R.N., Sister Hilary Stangl, R.S.M., and Sister Cabrini Schmitz, O.S.B. Contributions are recognized with an inscribed “Leaf” for gifts $1,000-$4,000 and an inscribed “Apple” for gifts $5,000 or more. The interest earned from this fund supports the Hospice Volunteer Program.
For more information on making a gift, please contact the St. Edward Mercy Foundation at (479)314-1133.
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