History

Hospice of Siouxland was started in 1984. The mission of Hospice is to provide comfort, support, and compassionate care to people with life-threatening illnesses and to their families in a manner that respects and cherishes the dignity and uniqueness of each individual, and to foster community awareness that dying is an integral part of living.

Hospice was a volunteer operation that became operational in 1991. Representatives from Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, LeMars Hospice, Public Health Department, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Burgess Memorial Hospital, Area Agency on Aging, and First Lutheran Church met for the initial planning meeting in September 1991.

Hospice of Siouxland became a Medicare certified agency in September, 1984. In July, 1986, Hospice became a member of Amicare Home Healthcare, now known as Mercy Home Care. The LeMars office opened in July, 1991, and the Pender, Nebraska, office in July, 1997. Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City took joint ownership of Hospice in July, 1997.

On November 1, 1999, St. Luke’s joined Mercy in 50 percent ownership of Hospice of Siouxland. The partnership represents a commitment to continue providing high quality services and to work together to meet the needs of Siouxland patients. A governing body with representatives from both Mercy and St. Luke’s has been created to guide the partnership

Hospice staff includes nurses, home health aides, chaplains, social workers, and grief counselors. Their work is supported by 187 volunteers.

History | Services