NVNA and Hospice Purchases the Former New England Friends Home- Thayer House

May 15, 2012 - PRLog -- NVNA and Hospice, a non-profit homecare and hospice agency serving the South Shore, recently purchased the former New England Friends Home, Thayer House on Turkey Hill Lane in Hingham, to transform it into a hospice residence.  The property was identified by the non-profit organization Campus of Caring who after years of researching properties made the initial offer and reassigned the rights to NVNA and Hospice who offered to purchase it. The two non-profits partnered to combine their respective missions of bringing a non-profit hospice home to the South Shore.

This will be the first of its kind on the South Shore, where NVNA and Hospice has been a leader in homecare delivery since it was founded in 1920 as Norwell VNA. Now covering over 25 communities on the South Shore, NVNA and Hospice will be the provider of hospice care at the residence.  Campus of Caring, which was formed in 2005, takes on the mission of leading a substantial capital campaign to fund the purchase and necessary revamping of the house to meet the specific needs of hospice care.

The Thayer House sits on a 3.62 acre lot surrounded by land owned by the Hingham-based Trustees of Reservations. Previously operated as an assisted living, the 16,781 square foot building will be updated and adapted to provide a 12-bed non-profit hospice residence. The property was owned by the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends and was listed for $1,500,000.

Renovations are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2012 with the residence opening later in 2013. The residence will offer a comfortable, safe, home-like setting for individuals with a life-limiting illness, and compassionate support for generations of loved ones.
       
“We are grateful to Campus of Caring for their incredible commitment to bringing a non-profit hospice residence to the South Shore,” said Meg Doherty, Executive Director and CEO of NVNA and Hospice. “Because of their due diligence in finding the perfect property we are close to making the hospice residence a reality. We look forward to our continued partnership with Campus of Caring to fill this great need in our community.”

“This property exceeds our expectations in every way and puts us closer to our goal of having a non-profit hospice home to serve the South Shore,” said Campus of Caring Board President Ralph E. Tedeschi. “The setting is beautiful and peaceful with easy access to walking trails. We look forward to continuing the positive use of this fine home.”

With a growing demand for hospice services, none of the nine hospice homes in the state are conveniently located for South Shore residents; the closest being in Needham and Cape Cod. The most recently reported hospice statistics (2010) show that Massachusetts hospices cared for approximately 21,598 patients (or 40% of all MA deaths), and that number is increasing each year. The state’s rapidly aging population will result in an even greater demand for quality health and hospice care.


About NVNA and Hospice

Founded in 1920, NVNA and Hospice is the only independent, non-profit home health care and hospice agency serving the South Shore.  The agency’s mission of Neighbors Helping Neighbors continues as it serves nearly 600 patients a day, and offers an average of 45 free community health screenings, educational programs and support groups each month in more than 25 communities on the South Shore. NVNA and Hospice has been named a Home Care Elite Top Agency in the United States for six consecutive years. For more information, call NVNA and Hospice at 781-659-2342 or visit www.nvna.org.

About Campus of Caring

Campus of Caring was incorporated in 2005 as a non-profit organization dedicated to building a non-profit home on the South Shore. Several years later, Campus of Caring chose NVNA and Hospice to operate the house. Hospice is specialized care for people with life-limiting illnesses, providing comfort and quality of life, when curative care is no longer an option. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information please visit www.campusofcaring.org. or call Heather Fiedler at 781-659-2634.