Modern hospice began in the United States in the 1960s as an approach to serving people with terminal illnesses. At that time, hospices were primarily made up of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. In the late 1980s hospice moved to Medicare-certified programs. These medical hospices are critical in providing specialized care at the end of life but have limits. To qualify, the referral must be made by a physician, there must be a diagnosis of 6 months or less of life expectancy, and a person cannot continue with curative based treatments.

Alongside the growth of medical hospices, volunteer hospices were established across the United States. What started with grassroots, neighbor helping neighbor, became established programs. Due to the advocacy about the importance of volunteers at end of life, Medicare included that volunteers must be a part of a certified program. For medical hospices that did not run their own volunteer program, they could contract with volunteer hospices to meet the requirement.

Volunteer hospices, like Pine Tree Hospice, have few limits on eligibility and do not charge for any of the services provided. People can access our services when they find themselves with a life limiting condition that does not allow them to be independent. We are also able to develop programming to meet the local needs of the communities we serve and offer services not only to individuals, but families, caregivers, and those grieving.