Mayo Clinic and Hospice of the Valley Enter Agreement to Build Hospice Home on Mayo Clinic Hospital Campus

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Media Contact:
Lynn Closway
Mayo Clinic
480-301-4222
closway.lynn@mayo.edu
and
Christine Tobin
Hospice of the Valley
602.530.6944
602.271.1339 (pager)

For Immediate Release - December 11, 2003

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Officials at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale and Hospice of the Valley have entered into an agreement for Hospice of the Valley to build a hospice home on the Mayo Clinic Hospital campus in northeast Phoenix.

The structure will be a home-like setting for patients whose needs are better met in an inpatient environment. There will be twelve private rooms, a family area, kitchen, and an area for staff. As with all Hospice of the Valley inpatient units, families will be welcome around the clock.

"Architectural plans are in the final stages and close to completion," states Gregory Mayer, M.D., executive medical director, Hospice of the Valley. "It is anticipated that the first phase of the building process will begin within the next few months, pending appropriate permits," he adds.

"A hospice facility was included as one of the elements of our 40-year Master Plan that was announced last summer, and we're pleased that this project is being implemented so quickly," says Victor F. Trastek, M.D., chair, Board of Governors, Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. "Hospice care is an important end of life option for patients with cancer as well as other diseases including cardiovascular and neurological conditions."

Last year, more than 3,000 of the 8,000 patients served by Hospice of the Valley used inpatient services. The organization currently operates ten inpatient facilities located throughout the Valley and will continue to expand these services based on the need of the community.

"Although Hospice of the Valley and Mayo Clinic have been working together to serve patients at the end of life for many years, this is significant in that it marks a formal association and commitment between the two health care providers," states Susan Levine, executive director of Hospice of the Valley. "Our missions are similar and it's a natural progression of providing excellent care for our community."

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is an academic medical center providing specialty and surgical care in more than 66 disciplines. In 2002, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) extended Mayo Clinic's designation as a comprehensive cancer center to include Mayo Clinic's facilities in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Hospice of the Valley is a not-for-profit hospice serving the community since 1977. It is the largest hospice in Maricopa County and among the leading hospices in the United States.

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 66 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 205-bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the Clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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