{"id":94981,"date":"2025-12-24T17:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/94981\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T17:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:12:07","slug":"holistic-hospice-provider-expands-to-pinellas-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/94981\/","title":{"rendered":"Holistic hospice provider expands to Pinellas County"},"content":{"rendered":"

A national end-of-life care company with unique offerings, including pet visits, personal pampering and Memory Bears made from a patient\u2019s clothing, has expanded to Pinellas County.<\/p>\n

VITAS Healthcare<\/a> is a nearly 50-year-old mobile hospice provider that takes a holistic approach to providing support during a sensitive time in someone\u2019s life. A new administrative office<\/a> at 12425 28th St. N. in St. Petersburg serves as a home base for interdisciplinary care teams.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Coronado, vice president of operations, said VITAS plans to eventually open a local inpatient center \u201cfor patients who need a higher level of care.\u201d However, the company\u2019s primary goal is to provide comfort wherever patients call home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis expansion is all about increasing access to end-of-life care for residents in the area,\u201d Coronado told the Catalyst. \u201cBy delivering care at home, we reduce the stress and logistical challenges of travel for both patients and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coronado added that allowing patients to remain in familiar places \u201cwhere they feel the most at ease\u201d also provides \u201cdignity and independence.\u201d South Florida-based VITAS began serving the St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tarpon Springs areas in mid-November.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kathleen Coronado, vice president of operations at VITAS.<\/p>\n

Pinellas County\u2019s increasing patient population and growing hospice needs influenced the expansion, Coronado said. VITAS can now reach<\/a> 86% of Florida\u2019s total population.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the company served over 52,000 statewide hospice patients. However, accessibility issues remain, and Coronado said VITAS realized an \u201copportunity to bring our reputation for compassionate, high-quality care to an area that truly needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that the company can provide a same-day, bedside consultation if a hospital staff member believes a patient would benefit from hospice care. Around-the-clock services ensure VITAS can \u201cquickly respond if a patient\u2019s symptoms have worsened or if the family needs extra support,\u201d Coronado said.<\/p>\n

The provider offers individualized services, high-acuity care for patients requiring complex treatments and inclusive approaches to support diverse cultural and spiritual needs. Coronado said physicians, nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers all play a vital role.<\/p>\n

In addition to routine care, VITAS offers specialized services for veterans who have \u201cunique, and often complex needs.\u201d Those can include service-related injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or \u201cunresolved emotions tied to their time in the military,\u201d Coronado said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a veteran is first enrolled in our service, we take the time to learn about their military history to get a full picture of their needs at end-of-life,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt gives us a better understanding of how we recognize their service and show appreciation through things like pinning ceremonies or bedside salutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

VITAS also offers grief and bereavement support, including a program tailored for children. Families can receive a Life Bio legacy booklet created from patient stories, in addition to individualized Memory Bears.<\/p>\n

Patients can request massage therapy and hair care. Volunteer programs provide visits from pets and musical performances that invoke memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese enrichment programs are all about enhancing quality of life and bringing comfort to our patients and their families,\u201d Coronado said. \u201cWhat brings comfort to each person is highly unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

She believes that hospice care \u201cshould be as unique as the person receiving it.\u201d VITAS works to understand and honor each patient\u2019s cultural and spiritual values, and staff trained to support patients from diverse backgrounds \u201cbuilds trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coronado said the holistic services reflect the company\u2019s commitment to \u201ccaring for the whole person \u2013 mind, body and spirit.\u201d All patients should feel \u201cseen, heard and supported during their final stages of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research shows that people reaching the end of their life overwhelmingly prefer to stay at home, Coronado said. Seniors represent 22% of Florida\u2019s population, and she believes mobile care helps mitigate the hospice utilization gap.<\/p>\n

VITAS employed over 6,000 people statewide in 2024. That number will continue increasing following expansions into Pinellas and Pasco Counties.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond patient care, this move also brings jobs and workforce development to the region, which is a win for the local economy,\u201d Coronado said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A national end-of-life care company with unique offerings, including pet visits, personal pampering and Memory Bears made from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-94981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}