Hospice of Kitsap County formally opened its Bremerton Care Center this week and plans to begin receiving patients within the next four to six weeks.

“This is another way for people to receive hospice care in the county,” said Deputy Executive Director Valerie Youngren. “Sometimes staying at home is not an option, because the symptoms are too complicated or there is no caregiver available. And there is nothing that can be done for them in the hospital.”

Hospice care is designed to make people with a terminal illness more comfortable at the end of their lives. The average stay in hospice care is seven days.

The new center, formerly the assisted-living portion of the Belmont Care Center, has 15 private rooms. It will be staffed around the clock by four to eight people at a time, plus volunteers.

Unlike long-term care facilities that are designed for years of care with an overall goal to rehabilitate patients and hospitals geared toward providing acute care for optimal wellness, hospice care is solely focused on end-of-life care.

The center is intended to create a a warm, home-like environment, where patients will be able to live their last days fully and say good-bye to their loved ones with peace and dignity.

At the same time, expert medical resources will ensure the highest possible level of care.

Youngren said there is no local facility solely dedicated to end-of-life care, and this center will “give them a place at the end of their lives that will be as comfortable and as dignified as possible.”

For more information go on line to www.hospiceofkitsapcounty.org/ or call (360) 698-4611.