Our 93 yr old mom has been in hospice care since she fell and broke her hip a couple of years ago…read moreand has also had re-occurring TIA's. She is totally incontinent and cannot walk. We have always received excellent care from Emerald Coast in the past but when we tried to transfer her from Hernando Pasco Hospice to Emerald Coast as we have done before, Nicole, the nurse decided that she would not be accepted. Nicole looked at the records sent from HPH and said that it was her opinion that HPH used "weak criteria" and she wasn't even going to consider it in her evaluation. She proceeded to grill me and my two sisters about her health events and conditions which without the paper work in front of us we couldn't remember off the top of our heads. I had not cared for mom in a year as my sisters and I take turns. Emerald Coast refused to even admit her for a short period until she could be evaluated by a physician and she told me we would have to pay for home health if we needed help. When I called again this morning, I was bluntly told by Nicole that my mom was dropped, period, and Emerald Coast could offer us no help in finding alternative care. We do not even have a primary care physician available to prescribe her medications on such short notice and her health is at risk now as she is diabetic and had high blood pressure. I am now scrambling to find help.

I would recommend this hospice group to anyone the nurses are very dedicated to giving excellent…read morecare to there patients and the staff has a fast response time. To me that is most important because you don't always have a lot of time when your on Hospice

My Mom had to have surgery and Home Health/Physical Therapy services were needed. Synergy Medical…read moreServices came and they are the most compassionate, capable people. When they first started coming my Mom was in bed most of the time. When physical therapy finally had to come to an end; she is up walking, moving and is so much happier! They helped get her good durable equipment and were ready to answer any question. If you or a loved one needs home health and/or physical therapy they are THE place to call! Anyone that has a loved one that needs care, call them with complete confidence that you will get nothing less than the ABSOLUTE BEST!

An Outstanding VITAS Hospice Team…read more I cannot say enough about the exceptional inpatient hospice care my brother, Randall "Randy" Aronson, received from VITAS during his final days. This was an incredibly difficult and emotional time for me and my family, but the VITAS team provided compassionate, professional, and deeply personal care every step of the way. I am especially grateful to Sharon and Leah, who went above and beyond to help me make the difficult decision to transition Randy into hospice care. They patiently answered my questions, offered guidance and reassurance, and helped me understand that this was the right decision for Randy. Randy's nurses were incredibly caring and attentive. They treated him with dignity, kindness, and respect, and they kept me informed by contacting me promptly whenever there were changes in his condition. Their communication gave me comfort and reassurance during an otherwise heartbreaking time. The compassion shown by the entire VITAS team made a profound difference. You cared not only for Randy, but also for me and my family, helping us feel supported and never alone. Thank you for your outstanding care, kindness, and dedication. I will always be grateful for everything you did for Randy and me.

Dedicated professionals and wonderful volunteers, Covenant has a wide variety of programs to help…read morewith grief- including Camp Connect. Camp Connect helps grieving kids talk about their loss and connect with others in their situation. Many of the staff members have had family members in hospice here, and their empathy shows. I heard one home health aid tell the story of the corporate team helping her family when there was a house fire caused by her failing father.

STAT HHC is such a great company to work with. All the staff care so much about the patients and…read morewill g the extra mile to ensure patients are well cared for. Joe Kearney is the Executive Director in Pensacola, he is very easy to work with and always puts patient needs first. Thanks STAT, love our working relationship

From the moment our loved one arrived, the staff did not seem to recognize that he was actively…read morebecoming paralyzed. That first hour was when we realized it was happening, yet the facility acted as though this was something we already understood and knew how to manage. We were completely lost. In fact, Gretchen and I were discussing whether we should simply ask for a dose of pain medication and take him home. We had to repeatedly ask for a doctor to explain what was happening. One male doctor was very poor at communicating and did not provide clear answers. A female doctor was much better and genuinely seemed to care, but it was obvious this was not a situation she handled often. Looking back, I believe he may have been better served either in the emergency room or at home. We came expecting his pain to be managed so that he could return home. Instead, what we thought would be a short stay turned into nearly two weeks. Throughout our time there, the physicians often seemed only partially engaged and behaved as though patients and families had unlimited time. For people facing the end of life, that approach is unacceptable. We also experienced a lack of professionalism from some staff members. We overheard gossip about our family. His door was rarely closed unless we closed it ourselves, and we repeatedly had to ask staff to knock before entering. One nurse loudly stated, "Don't let him get an IV; hospice killed my husband." Another nurse told me that if I stopped giving him sugary foods, he would probably pass away faster. These comments were inappropriate, unprofessional, and deeply upsetting. It often felt as though the staff were not accustomed to caring for a patient who could clearly communicate his condition and advocate for himself. No one was openly cruel, but there was little consistency in care. Every nurse seemed to have a different approach, some better than others, and there was no sense of a coordinated treatment plan. For someone who is dying, that inconsistency is frightening. When we were preparing to leave, he was so heavily medicated that he could no longer provide coherent answers, so I began speaking on his behalf. As his medical power of attorney, I was responsible for making decisions and advocating for his care when he could no longer effectively communicate for himself. We understood that he needed to be on oral medications for 24 hours before discharge. Unfortunately, he was experiencing significant pain, and I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I asked our favorite nurse to seek approval from the doctor for IV medication. She did everything she could to help us, but the doctors moved so slowly that it often felt as though they forgot hospice patients and their families are operating under urgent circumstances. When he was finally discharged, the doctor failed to prescribe enough pain medication to last through the weekend. We also did not receive the suction equipment or oxygen until the night he died, and even then, essential components were missing. The equipment was largely unusable. I ended up using a baby bulb syringe to keep his mouth clear. I want to acknowledge that the hospice nurses who came to our home were excellent. They did everything they could to support him and our family, and we are grateful for their care. Unfortunately, our experience with the on-call physician during the night of March 14-15 was extremely disappointing. CVS identified a dosing issue with a narcotic prescription and needed clarification from the doctor. Despite repeated requests, the physician would not speak with the pharmacist or correct the prescription. Instead, the doctor reportedly told the pharmacist to resolve it themselves. Gretchen arrived at the pharmacy around midnight and was not able to leave until approximately 3:00 a.m. because the issue remained unresolved. This occurred while we were caring for a dying patient at home and urgently needed the medication. During that time, I remained at home caring for him. Because of the delay caused by the unresolved dosing issue, I had to crush his medications and mix them with apple juice to help manage his pain and keep him comfortable while we waited. Fortunately, the medication was eventually obtained, but only after hours of unnecessary stress, frustration, and uncertainty during some of the final hours of his life. No family caring for a dying loved one should have to endure that kind of situation because a physician would not promptly work with a pharmacist to resolve a narcotic prescription issue. I want to be clear that there were individual nurses, both in the facility and in our home, whose kindness and compassion meant a great deal to us. We are grateful for the care they provided and for the effort they made under difficult circumstances. However, when I look back on the overall experience, I cannot honestly say that the hospice organization itself provided the level of support we expected. In many ways, it felt as though w

Stay away. While many of the individuals were good, overall, the service and especially the…read morecommunication was awful. They miscommunicated nearly every aspect of care. The final straw is that our mother is in critical condition, requiring morphine every hour and the LPN who is taking the next shift doesn't show and all the answering services says it they are making calls. But they don't call back. The current LPN has been here 13 hours. Vitas doesn't seem to think this is an issue worth escalating. There are many more examples: not bringing supplies, telling us a nurse was coming at 6pm and no one shows until the next day (after several calls), resources showing up not knowing anything about our mom's condition, it just goes on and on.

Emerald Coast Hospice is an amazing, caring organization. They made my mother's passing so much…read moreeasier. You could literally call or text them anytime and always get a prompt response. Rebecca came twice a week then the last week every day. The entire organization is well coordinated with the patient and family first. I highly recommend Emerald Coast Hospice.

These folks are incredible. Not only did they care for my dad as if he was family in the last few…read moremonths of his life, they really looked out for us, his daughters as well. I can't say enough nice things about them. I thank them from the bottom of my heart!

Amazing hospice care. Every person at this company, from those who answered the phone all the way…read morethrough the nurses and doctor were the best! They were all very kind, compassionate, helpful, supportive, knowledgeable, professional and expeditious. Top notch care and top notch service. They were very quick to respond to every need, big and small. I highly recommend this company.

I truly loved Vitas until my father died. He was not a patient however, my grandmother was. He…read morecalled on call emergency the night before he died. The on call nurse went over to my grandma's and dad's house with her husband that isn't an employee and never had a background check. The next morning he was dead. I found out from friends of mine the stuff that that the nurses were saying about my father after he was removed from the house bybthe funeral home. As the daughter, it hurt my feelings terribly. I'm just sharing my experience with Vitas as I wouldn't want other families to deal with this!! Everyone deserves respect. My father never ever in his life talked bad about anyone. matter of fact, he would give his shirt off his back to anyone that needed it. So with all this being said, please choose wisely when looking for home health care for your loved one!!

From the owner: If you or a loved one is facing a life-limiting illness, VITAS Healthcare can help. We focus on…read moreyou, not your disease, to ensure comfort and dignity near the end of life. VITAS provides you and your family with a team of hospice professionals--physician, nurse, hospice aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteer--to meet physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We care for you wherever you call home--a private residence, assisted living community or nursing home. If symptoms become severe, we have Intensive Comfort Care, shifts of 24-hour continuous care until symptoms are under control. For those symptoms that cannot be managed at home, VITAS also provides inpatient hospice beds and units in local hospitals. With VITAS you're never alone. We're available 24/7/365, with support available even on holidays and weekends. In the transition from hospital to home, from curative to palliative care, from chronic to end-stage disease, VITAS is with you every step of the way.