Juneau hospice and nursing home closures are the latest symptom of the nation’s nursing shortage

December 21, 2022

Kelly Aicardi pulled open the garage-style door to a storage unit full of wheelchairs, walkers, beds and bedpans. The equipment-stuffed space is called the loan closet, and it’s what’s left of hospice care in Juneau. The city’s only provider of in-home and end-of-life care closed down in September.

“This used to be a lot more active when we had hospice patients,” Aicardi said. “Part of being in hospice is that we provide any equipment that is needed for the patient.”

She’s a volunteer coordinator for Catholic Community Services. The organization’s hospice and home health division closed because it couldn’t afford to keep nursing staff.

Read the full story from KTOO – FM.