Idaho Home Health & Hospice comes to Valley 

Death and taxes may be the only two certainties in life, according to the Ben Franklin-coined expression. But just as there’s no guarantee there will be money in the bank when taxes come due, there’s no assurances about dying comfortably in the presence of loved ones and familiar surroundings.

Idaho Home Health & Hospice works to make end-of-life transitions easier and has coined its own phrase: “People caring for people.”

The company was founded 32 years ago in Twin Falls by a former nurse, Gary Thietten. The business is not just about helping the terminally ill. It also offers services in at-home and assisted living care for people dealing with the adverse effects of aging. And though 80 percent of its clients are geriatric, the firm can also provide in-home pediatric nursing services for medically at-risk infants.

An Idaho Home Health & Hospice branch opened in early April in the El Dorado Business Park at 1965 S. Eagle Rd. in Meridian. There are eight other branches located throughout southern Idaho, including in Idaho Falls, Rigby, Rupert, Buhl, Pocatello, Hailey, Gooding and Twin Falls.

The Treasure Valley branch already has 10 home health clients and two hospice patients, according to IHH&H Community / Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Fuller.

On the hospice side of the business, the company offers what it calls a “care team,” consisting of a case manager, a registered nurse, a hospice volunteer, a social worker, a clergyman if requested, and certified nurses’ assistants.

All of this care falls under insurance benefits such as Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance or long-term care benefits.

Coming this summer, Idaho Home Health & Hospice will also provide a personal care service with a certified nurse’s assistant for people who need help with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), such as personal hygiene and medication schedules.

The company will also open a retail site near its present location for the sale of medical equipment and supplies.

Fuller stated Idaho Home Health & Hospice prides itself on utilizing the newest technologies in the industry. This includes, for instance, a TeleHealth Monitor that enables a nurse to remotely monitor a patient’s blood pressure, oxygen levels and weight while the individual remains at home.

Fuller admitted there is intense competition in the Boise area with other companies offering the same services IHH&H provides. She said there are nearly 30 home health programs and more than 20 hospice services in the Valley. A College of Idaho graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business, Fuller said she works to stay ahead of the competition by becoming a part of the local community through chambers of commerce memberships, visits to physicians’ offices and by attending health fairs.

“We have done intense advertising, stressing we are an advocate of patient choice,” said the coordinator.

Due to the floundering economy, Idaho Home Health & Hospice is seeing a lot more people on Medicaid and Medicare, according to Fuller. The company offers some pro bono services on a limited basis and will continue to do so “out of a sense of morality,” she said.

Contact info:

Phone: 208.887.6633

E-mail: jessica@idahohomehealth.com

Website: idahohomehealth.com

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