Winona Health Winona Area Hospice earns 5-star rating
April 4, 2025
“Our hospice care 5-star rating reflects Winona Health’s high-quality care along with the deep commitment of our caregivers who have chosen this as their life’s work,” said Linda Atkinson, administrator, Winona Health Senior Services. “They honor each person’s unique needs, wants and histories while providing life-enriching support to hospice clients and their families.”
Hospice ratings are based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data and survey results. Winona Health Winona Area Hospice is the only provider in the region to achieve a 5-star rating with results exceeding state and national quality and satisfaction scores.
Hospice provides care including emotional support and guidance for family members, helping them become confident caregivers and supporting them through their loved one’s final stages of life. Hospice care ensures therapies, treatments and pain management are centered on each patient’s needs, comfort, goals and wishes.
In addition to medical staff, the hospice care team includes social workers and trained volunteers whose compassion, and often a previous experience with hospice care for a loved one, has compelled them to volunteer.
Nancy Bachler and Mary Kaye Perrin, both hospice volunteers with decades of experience, share that many families put off hospice care until their loved one is in the final stages of their illness.
“Once families experience the full range of hospice services and support, they often wish they had started hospice care sooner,” said Bachler. “Both Mary Kaye and I have been on the receiving end of hospice services with family members. One of the reasons we volunteer is that we saw how meaningful and extensive their help was. One of the priorities of hospice is to give as much control to the patient and their family as possible.”
Perrin reflected, “Knowing how valuable hospice care was for my family makes it especially gratifying to help provide this kind of care. Hospice is about helping a patient and their loved ones get the most out of the time they have together. It truly enhances quality of life and peace of mind – both for the patient and their caregivers.”
Who can receive hospice care? Hospice care is for anyone facing a life-limiting illness. This includes individuals with dementia, heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, cancer and other serious conditions. Hospice is here to help patients and their loved ones by providing comfort, dignity and support in life’s final stages.
Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and many private insurance policies as well. Patients and their families have the right to access the hospice services they’re entitled to. Families benefit even more when hospice caregivers have a longer time to work with them.
Winona Health offers hospice care in a 25-mile radius of Winona in whatever setting a hospice client calls home. Hospice care increases the quality of life and makes it possible for a person to remain in the peace and comfort of home with those who cherish them.
It’s also important to know that hospice care doesn’t end when a person dies. Support for the patient’s loved ones continues as they adjust to their loss.
For more information about hospice and advance care planning, please call Winona Health Winona Area Hospice at 507.457.4468 or visit www.winonahealth.org/hospice.
Winona Health Hospice 5-star care team includes medical staff, social workers and trained volunteers who provide care, emotional support and guidance for family members during their loved one’s final stages of life.