Home Care and hospice service options will expand for Williams County and beyond with a newer and larger facility in Bryan.
CHP (Community Health Professionals) Home Care and Hospice hosted ground-breaking ceremonies Friday, Oct. 14, in Bryan its new 14,002-square-foot office building at 1215 S. Portland St., next to the Bryan Senior Center. The $2 million-plus project will include staff offices, a large conference room, examination and clinic room, and a 1,000 sq. ft. therapy area.
On hand for the ground-breaking were Jerry Overmier, architect with Beilharz Architects of Defiance; Brent Tow, CHP president and CEO; Misty King, Williams County representative, CHP Board of Trustees; Ginny George, nursing supervisor; Mark Verville, First Financial Bank and Marcus Price, project manager Midwest Contracting.
Nurses, staff members and physicians also attended.
The new office will allow CHP to house all its services under one roof. It took over hospice from CHWC in 2013 and the hospital has allowed it to remain there, Tow said.
The new home will allow the organization to expand its nursing staff from 12 18, Tow said.
Services currently offered will remain including adult day care, home health care, hospice and private duty. The facility accepts referrals from the VA, George said.
In addition to hospice care, the facility will have palliative care, she said.
“What’s exciting to me personally is the presence in the community,” George said. “We are community based. I like that it conveys that.”
The new facility’s proximity to the senior center will create some synergy between their services and ours,” Tow said. “We hope this one day becomes a medical area.”
The new facility will be just down the road from the hospital. Tow was grateful for the hospital’s patience while CHP builds the new center.
CHP is targeting the end of May as the completion date for the facility, Tow said.
In addition to growing the staff, CHP wants to expand the list of hospice clients from the current 30. Having a permanent presence in Bryan should cement the community connection, Tow said.
While a dollar amount can’t be estimated as far as an impact on the economy, George said by keeping more people in their homes instead of nursing homes or hospitals, can only help neighborhoods remain strong.
The longevity of the staff goes a long way in helping the area, Tow said. George has been with CHP for five years and the hospice coordinator has been on board for 10 years, he said. Some of the staff has been working for 15-38 years.
“We are very flexible; we are a very progressive agency,” Tow said. “But at the end of the day, we are local, we have worked together for a long time and when you say local when it comes to Hospice, we are true on-call 24/7.”
James Pruitt may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com