A hospice company founded in Liberty County is announcing a name change and a new address. Texas Elite Hospice is now Horizons Hospice with its new office located at 140 Cypress Station, Suite 214, Houston.
Kem Kirkham Arnold, majority owner of the company and a resident of Tarkington, says the company’s new name is a rebirth after some changes in leadership. Moving the headquarters to Houston creates an opportunity to expand the business.
“We will still be covering the Liberty County area and our service area will continue to include San Jacinto, Polk, N. Harris, E. Montgomery and Chambers counties; however, we are now licensed for the entire state of Texas with a service area that includes the Greater Houston area,” Arnold said.
Currently, the company employs 32 people, including eight nurses (five RNs and three LVNs), social workers, chaplain, administrators, marketing personnel and other support staff. In addition to being the CEO of the company, Arnold is involved in community relations.
Halimah Price, administrator for Horizons Hospice, is excited about the rebirth of the company.
“When Kem and I talked about this a little over a year ago, we didn’t know how it was going to happen but we knew whatever we did would have to have an impact with our patients. We feel like this is a renewal, like we are going into the horizon with something new and fresh,” Price said.
Horizons Hospice financial director Jerald Abraham believes that hospice is working with the living, not just the dying, and that in its own way, hospice care is a type of ministry.
“We are a service. We are not a business. We are not just there for the patients but for their moms, dads, husbands, wives and children. A nurse or caretaker in this line of work has to have a heart for hospice,” he said.
While palliative and hospice care generally means that the patient has been diagnosed with a serious or terminal illness, patients occasionally recover and leave managed care. For those who don’t recover, it is important to understand that death is an individualized experience and treat each patient with respect.
“I understand death. I have already planned my own funeral twice, once when I was septic and the other time was when I was in a car crash and was pronounced dead on the scene,” said Edmundo Sanchez, director of nursing. “I understand the importance of our care in the final moments of a patient’s life. Our job is to preserve the dignity of the patient, not only during their life but after their death.”
Hospice service is covered 100 percent through Medicare Part A. Referrals are often made through physicians, but family members and patients can also sign up for care. For more information on Horizons Hospice, go online to https://www.horizonshospicetx.com/