Eli Escobar interviewed Rana McClelland, President and CEO of Houston Hospice. Houston Hospice is the only freestanding, nonprofit hospice organization located in Houston. Located in the Texas Medical Center they provide compassionate end-of-life care to patients and families in a 13-county area in Texas. Most hospice providers are for-profit entities. Hospice is provided primarily where a person lives (home, nursing home), allowing the patient to be with important objects, memories, and family. There are periodic visits to the patient and family/caregivers by hospice team members. When patients require a higher level of care, which cannot be provided at home, short term inpatient care is provided, with the goal of managing uncontrolled symptoms and returning the patient to their own residence. Hospice is not just for the final few hours or days of life but is available for the last six months of life. Their upcoming fundraiser, the Butterfly Luncheon, supports their pediatric Butterfly Program which provides palliative comfort care for children with life-limiting conditions who are aged 18 and younger. The program advocates for the needs of the infant, child or adolescent and supports the child’s family. The Butterfly Team includes physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, nurses’ aides and trained volunteers. The Butterfly Luncheon will be held Friday, May 6 at the Junior League of Houston. For more information visit: https://www.houstonhospice.org/
