Ecumen, one of the oldest hospice providers in Minnesota, has opened a new hospice service for the Twin Cities metro area.

Ecumen, one of the oldest hospice providers in Minnesota, has opened a new hospice service for the Twin Cities metro area.

Ecumen Hospice-Twin Cities will cover an eight-county area — Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, Chisago, Anoka, Dakota, Scott and Isanti.  Expansion of hospice services in the Twin Cities builds on Ecumen’s more than 25 years of experience that started at Ecumen of Litchfield in 1989. 

“We have set the highest expectations for our patient-centered care, aiming to provide the very best hospice clinical quality and customer service in the Twin Cities,” said Shelley Kendrick, Ecumen Chief Operating Officer.

Hospice Program Manager Seth Kalhagen said Ecumen Hospice will accept patients anytime 24 hours a day — days, nights, weekends and holidays.  A nurse will always be on call to assist with patient needs.

Hospice is medical care with the goal of maintaining or improving quality of life for someone whose illness, disease or condition is unlikely to be cured.

“When most people think about hospice, they think about life being over and giving up all hope,” Kalhagen said. “The whole idea of hospice is to help people live as fully as possible for how ever much time is left.”

Ecumen Hospice offers highly individualized medical care as well as a variety of therapeutic approaches and spiritual care.  Physical, occupation, speech, music and massage therapy is available, and chaplains offer spiritual care and emotional support to patients and families of all faith traditions. 

The Ecumen Hospice office is located at 7561 9^th Street N. in Oakdale. For more information call 651-714-0200 or email info@ecumenhospice.org.

Related Changing Aging blogs:

Ecumen’s Seth Kalhagen Wants To Change Your Perception of Hospice

A Hospice Client Gives His Nurse a Day She Will Never Forget

The Life-and-Death Experience of Hospice Chaplain Kris Linner

The Ecumen Hospice Team

FRONT ROW (Left to right) Beth Branz, Clinical Director; Lisamarie McCully, Care Consultant; Jammi Hansen Blair, Volunteer Specialist; Deanna Anderson, Patient Care Specialist; Lori Dady, RN Case Manager; Carol Nelson, Massage Therapist.

BACK ROW (Left to right) Seth Kalhagen, Program Manager; Laura Alexander, Health Information/Admin Assistant; Lynnette Buelow, RN Case Manager; Chris Quistad, Chaplain; Jeannette Johnson, Social Worker.

NOT PICTURED: Theresa Bulger, Music Therapist; Kathy Boyce, RN Case Manager; V. Simon Mittal, MD, Medical Director.