The Washington Home Invests $328K to Reduce Barriers to Hospice Care Access for Older Adults Across Washington, DC

New citywide collaboration unites four partners to expand access to hospice and medical respite care and strengthen workforce capacity

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Washington Home (TWH) has launched its Hospice Access Collaboration, a new grant initiative designed to address barriers that prevent vulnerable DC residents from accessing hospice and other end-of-life support.

Through a $327,814 investment in four partner organizations: Capital Caring Health – A Chapters Health^® Affiliate, Forest Hills of DC – By Goodwin Living, Joseph’s House, and Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine, the collaboration will expand hospice-related care for 25 older DC residents and train 200 healthcare professionals in four key areas:

• ACCESS – Increasing inpatient hospice and medical respite capacity for older adults without stable housing or caregiver support;
• TRAINING – Educating healthcare professionals at Sibley Memorial Hospital about hospice and end-of-life care, including how to compassionately engage patients and caregivers in difficult decisions;
• FUNDING – Providing bridge funding for uninsured or underinsured patients; and
• NUTRITION – Delivering medically tailored, supportive meals to inpatient hospice patients.

The initiative reflects TWH’s redesigned FY26 grant strategy, which shifts funding from isolated interventions toward collective accountability, strategic coordination, and long-term systems change.

In FY26, TWH awarded $4.5 million in grants supporting initiatives across all eight wards, including collaborations focused on healthcare access, social isolation, workforce development, and aging-in-place supports.

The collaboration responds to rising demand for accessible, highly skilled end-of-life care delivered with dignity and compassion.

COLLABORATION PARTNERS DELIVER IMPACT
TWH is partnering with four organizations to expand inpatient hospice and medical respite capacity and strengthen the healthcare workforce’s knowledge of end-of-life care:

Capital Caring Health – A Chapters Health^® Affiliate: A nonprofit community-based organization founded in 1977 that provides hospice, palliative care, advanced illness services, and counseling across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

“Support for older adults during their most vulnerable moments should be accessible to all — regardless of their financial or housing circumstances,” said Stephen Venute, Vice President of Institutional Philanthropy for Chapters Health Foundation. “This funding enables us to provide more inpatient hospice care to patients and their loved ones while ensuring comfort, dignity, and peace remain at the center of every decision.”

Forest Hills of DC – By Goodwin Living: A Washington, DC, retirement community with a 134-year history of providing assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care and is part of the larger Goodwin Living senior living and healthcare organization serving 4,000 older adults across the National Capital Region.

“Many patients who need hospice care do not have access to a 24-hour caregiver at home,” said Andy M. Siegel, MHA, Chief Business Development Officer and Head of Goodwin Living Health at Goodwin Living. “By providing a supportive residential setting with the medical respite care these patients need, Forest Hills by Goodwin Living can help make hospice care accessible to more patients while ensuring comfort, dignity, and coordinated support for them and their families.”

Joseph’s House: Provides and coordinates holistic care for unhoused adults living with HIV/AIDS and terminal cancer, honoring dignity, offering companionship, and promoting justice.

“For individuals experiencing homelessness who do not have stable housing or a 24-hour caregiver to support them at home, accessing hospice care can be especially challenging,” said Kowshara Thomas, Executive Director of Joseph’s House. “This funding will allow us to provide a safe, supportive home and the medical respite care necessary to help individuals access hospice services in an environment where they are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. At Joseph’s House, we believe everyone deserves comfort, connection, and compassionate care at the end of life, regardless of their housing status or circumstances.”

Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine: Provides inpatient and outpatient services to Washington, DC-area communities, including medical, surgical, intensive, obstetric, oncology, orthopedic, and emergency care.

“Delivering exceptional hospice care begins with a well-prepared, compassionate workforce,” said Kristen Pruski, MSA, CFRE, Vice President of Development at Sibley Memorial Hospital. “This funding will educate healthcare professionals about hospice and end-of-life care and strengthen their ability to engage patients and caregivers with compassion, clarity, and confidence. Having trusted community partners to whom we can refer patients will also make hospice and supportive services more accessible throughout serious illness, difficult decisions, and the final stages of life.”

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON HOME
The Washington Home is a private foundation that funds innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs that improve quality of life for older adults and people with terminal illnesses in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

Founded in 1888, The Washington Home previously provided long-term care at its upper Northwest Washington, DC, nursing facility, hospice care in patients’ homes, and inpatient hospice care.

In recent years, the Board of Directors repositioned the organization by ending direct care and consolidating its financial resources for greater mission impact. Learn more at www.TheWashingtonHome.org.

Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA
The Washington Home
+1 202-895-0105
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook

Media gallery