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Southern Maryland Expands Home-Based Palliative Care Access

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The Daily Record

October 21, 20254 min read

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Southern Maryland Expands Home-Based Palliative Care Access

Source: The Daily Record, October 2025

New Partnership Brings Care Home

Chesapeake Supportive Care, the palliative care arm of Hospice of the Chesapeake, announced a significant partnership with Southern Maryland House Calls to enhance palliative care access to Calvert County residents.

This collaboration addresses a critical gap in healthcare access for seniors and those with progressive illnesses who want to receive care in the comfort of their own homes.

What This Means for Calvert County

Expanded Access

Before this partnership:

  • Limited home-based palliative care options in Calvert County
  • Many residents had to travel significant distances for specialized care
  • Gaps in coordinated care for complex medical needs
  • After this partnership:

  • Comprehensive palliative care delivered at home
  • Timely access to specialized symptom management
  • Better coordination between primary care and palliative services
  • Reduced burden on patients and families
  • Who Benefits

    This partnership particularly helps:

    - Seniors with multiple chronic conditions who struggle with transportation

    - Patients with progressive illnesses like heart failure, COPD, cancer, kidney disease

    - Families caring for loved ones at home who need expert guidance

    - Rural residents with limited access to specialty care

    - Anyone preferring home-based care over facility visits

    What Services Are Provided

    Comprehensive Home-Based Palliative Care

    The partnership offers:

    Medical Care:

  • Symptom management (pain, shortness of breath, nausea, etc.)
  • Medication management and optimization
  • Coordination with other healthcare providers
  • Regular monitoring and assessment
  • Crisis intervention when needed
  • Support Services:

  • Care planning and advance directive discussions
  • Emotional and spiritual support
  • Caregiver education and training
  • Connection to community resources
  • 24/7 phone access for urgent concerns
  • Quality of Life Focus:

  • Helping patients remain independent at home
  • Managing symptoms to maintain daily activities
  • Supporting patient goals and values
  • Preventing unnecessary hospitalizations
  • Improving overall comfort and wellbeing
  • Why Home-Based Care Matters

    The Benefits of Receiving Care at Home

    Research consistently shows home-based palliative care:

    Improves quality of life - Patients are more comfortable in familiar surroundings

    Reduces hospitalizations - Better symptom management prevents crises

    Supports family caregivers - Expert guidance helps families provide better care

    Honors patient preferences - Most people prefer to age and receive care at home

    Improves outcomes - Coordinated home care leads to better health results

    Reduces healthcare costs - Prevents expensive ER visits and hospital stays

    Especially Important for Rural Communities

    Calvert County residents have faced unique challenges:

  • Geographic distance to specialized medical centers
  • Transportation barriers for elderly and ill patients
  • Limited local specialty care options
  • Fragmented care across multiple providers
  • This partnership directly addresses these rural healthcare access issues.

    The Partner Organizations

    Chesapeake Supportive Care

    The palliative care division of Hospice of the Chesapeake, bringing:

  • Deep expertise in serious illness care
  • Specialized training in symptom management
  • Holistic, patient-centered approach
  • Strong reputation in the region
  • Southern Maryland House Calls

    Established home-based primary care provider offering:

  • Experience with homebound patients
  • Understanding of local community needs
  • Existing infrastructure for home visits
  • Established relationships with patients and families
  • Stronger Together

    The partnership leverages each organization's strengths:

  • Combined medical expertise
  • Broader geographic reach
  • More comprehensive services
  • Better care coordination
  • Increased capacity to serve more patients
  • How to Access Services

    Eligibility

    You may benefit from this program if you:

  • Live in Calvert County, Maryland
  • Have a serious or progressive illness
  • Want to remain at home
  • Need help managing symptoms
  • Could benefit from extra support for yourself or caregivers
  • Note: You do NOT need to be in hospice or have a terminal diagnosis to receive palliative care

    Getting Started

    To learn more or enroll:

    1. Talk to your doctor about whether palliative care is right for you

    2. Contact Chesapeake Supportive Care directly at (410) 987-2003

    3. Ask about insurance coverage - Most insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid cover palliative care services

    4. Arrange an initial assessment to discuss your needs and goals

    Part of a Broader Trend

    National Movement Toward Home-Based Care

    This partnership reflects a growing recognition that:

  • People want to age in place
  • Home-based care improves outcomes
  • Rural communities need creative access solutions
  • Partnerships can extend specialized care reach
  • Similar partnerships are emerging nationwide as healthcare systems work to meet patient preferences and improve access to quality palliative care.

    What Community Leaders Are Saying

    Local healthcare advocates have praised the initiative:

    "This partnership ensures seniors experiencing progressive illness receive timely and comprehensive care in the comfort of their homes. It's exactly the kind of innovative collaboration our community needs."

    Patient advocacy groups note:

    "Too often, access to quality palliative care depends on where you live. Partnerships like this help level the playing field and ensure rural residents get the same high-quality care as urban populations."

    Looking Ahead

    Future Expansion Plans

    The partnership organizations are:

  • Monitoring patient outcomes and satisfaction
  • Evaluating potential expansion to additional counties
  • Working with payers to ensure sustainable funding
  • Training additional staff to increase capacity
  • Building community awareness about palliative care benefits
  • A Model for Other Communities

    This partnership could serve as a template for other rural and underserved areas looking to expand palliative care access without building expensive new facilities.

    The Bottom Line

    For Calvert County residents:

    If you or a loved one is struggling with symptoms from a serious illness, you now have local access to expert palliative care in your home.

    You don't have to wait until you're in crisis or considering hospice. Palliative care is available at any stage of serious illness, working alongside your other treatments and providers.

    Don't hesitate to reach out and learn if these services could help you or your family.

    ---

    Source: The Daily Record, October 2025 | Partnership announcement between Chesapeake Supportive Care and Southern Maryland House Calls

    Tags
    #Partnership#Access#Maryland#Good News
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