Hospice of Humboldt expands in-home palliative care services for residents

Fifteen Humboldt County patients were waiting to enroll in Hospice of Humboldt’s home-based palliative care program, with a six- to eight-week delay already building as demand outpaced capacity.

The nonprofit is expanding the service to reach seriously ill residents who need coordinated support at home but are not yet eligible for hospice. Hospice of Humboldt launched the palliative care program in 2022, and the care can be provided while a patient continues curative treatment, a key distinction for families navigating the gap between routine medical care and end-of-life services. The team includes a certified palliative care medical provider, a registered nurse case manager, a social worker, a community health worker and an administrative care coordinator.

Karen Ayers, the clinical director of palliative care, said the backlog showed how quickly need has grown. “Right now, we have 15 patients waiting to be enrolled, with a six- to eight-week wait time,” Ayers said. The expansion is meant to give more Humboldt families faster access to symptom relief, goal-setting, medication management, medical equipment, paperwork help, family conflict resolution and caregiver education, all of which can reduce the strain that often pushes patients into crisis care.

Hospice of Humboldt says anyone can call for an informational visit, and there is no charge for informational visits or evaluations. For Blue Shield and Partnership Health Plan members, palliative care is available through the organization’s Comprehensive Care program. Other arrangements may use Transitional Care or private pay. Once a patient is enrolled in hospice, services are paid for by Medicare, Medi-Cal and private insurance.

The growth comes as the organization has already been adding capacity elsewhere. In 2025, Hospice of Humboldt said it doubled inpatient Hospice House capacity from six beds to 12, while preparing to expand home-based palliative care. The nonprofit, founded in 1979 and based on Timber Fall Court in Eureka near the McKay Community Forest, also says the Ida Emmerson Hospice House, which opened in October 2016, is the North Coast’s only specialized end-of-life care facility.

Hospice of Humboldt recently announced a $250,000 matching gift from the owners of Premier Financial Group to support continued growth of the Home-Based Palliative Care program. The organization says it is among the few hospices in California and nationwide to earn a 5-Star Medicare rating, a distinction held by only 5 percent of hospices in California and 15 percent nationally.