Hospice

Contact Us

To speak with our experienced and caring staff, call 814-467-3684 or toll-free 1-888-WINDBER.

Why Windber Hospice?

Windber Hospice has been serving the communities of Cambria, Bedford, Somerset, and parts of Blair, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties for more than 45 years. Founded in 1977 by Dr. Earl Shope, Windber Hospice was the first hospice program in the state of Pennsylvania and the first rurally oriented hospice in the country. Today, our hospice program is respected as one of the finest… anywhere.

Windber Hospice is also unique, as it employs a full-time medical director who focuses on the holistic, comprehensive, and compassionate approach to end-of-life care for patients and their loved ones. Dr. Kelly Warshel is board-certified in both internal medicine and integrative/holistic medicine and is trained in reiki, and flower essence therapies. She is a graduate of the Metta Institute End-of-Life Practitioner Program.

Our Care

I will not leave you comfortless. John 14:18

The Windber Hospice program provides comfort, care and support for the terminally ill and their families. Dignity and compassion are at the heart of hospice care as medical professionals and trained volunteers provide end-of-life care both in the home and in the home-like setting of the Windber Hospice Inpatient Unit. In the true spirit of hospice care, Windber Hospice means that end of life does not mean end of care.

The Windber Hospice program provides a perfect balance of old and new, bringing expert medical care and family support services into the home where patients to rest in comfortable surroundings.

The Hospice Interdisciplinary team includes:

  • Hospice Physician
  • Registered Nurses
  • Medical Social Workers
  • Chaplains
  • Hospice Aides
  • Volunteers
  • Your Own Physician

We promote the hospice philosophy of care and provide services to all persons within the Windber Hospice Service Area. Although the main emphasis is on home care, the Windber Hospice Inpatient Unit allows patients home-like comfort during necessary visits.

Help in Your Nursing Home or Assisted Living

We provide care wherever you call home. This includes nursing homes, skilled facilities and assisted living facilities in our service area. Should you live in a facility, you and your family will receive the same level of service as those patients in private homes.

Windber Hospice has a long history of working with the facility staff from area nursing homes, skilled, and assisted living facilities to provide the additional assistance and support of extraordinary end-of-life care. The Windber Hospice team of experts will regularly communicate with you to ensure your needs are met. A family member or facility worker can simply contact the Windber Hospice Intake Department and we will assist you to collect all the information necessary to initiate hospice care.

Services Provided

Under the direction of your physician, the hospice medical director, nursing and support staff make regular visits to your home to coordinate services and to maintain you in your home environment. We offer:

  • Symptom Control
  • Pain Control
  • Home Care Visits
  • In-Patient Unit
  • Educational Programs
  • 24-hour Availability
  • Spiritual Care
  • Social Services
  • Bereavement Support
  • Integrative Therapies

Admission Criteria

To qualify for hospice care you must meet the following criteria:

  • Life-limiting illness with limited life expectancy
  • No longer under active treatment for cure of the disease. May be receiving palliative treatments.
  • Patient/family are willing to participate in home care.
  • Patient lives within Windber Hospice Service Area

Our Hospice Coverage Area:

Windber Hospice services all of Somerset, Cambria and Bedford Counties as well as parts of Blair, Indiana and Westmorland.