BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwired - Jul 11, 2014) - Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care is expanding its mission to find creative solutions that enhance the quality of end-of-life care by opening a 15-bed inpatient center at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, July 15^th in White Marsh, Maryland.

Ideally, hospice care is provided in the comfort of a patient's home. But when pain or symptoms of end-stage disease cannot be adequately managed in the home setting, a short-term stay at Seasons Hospice inpatient center may be necessary. The new center, located on the third floor of the south building, is a uniquely serene setting, designed with warm, neutral colors to provide a caring comfortable environment for patients and families. Surrounded by loved ones, patients can access the highest level of hospice care to manage their symptoms, and maintain dignity during what may be the most vulnerable time of their lives. Once the pain or symptoms are controlled, the patient can be transitioned to home or to another setting for extended care.

Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care will direct the clinical operations and manage the facility. A team of highly-skilled healthcare professionals, including physicians (certified in hospice and palliative medicine), skilled nurses, certified nurse assistants, social workers, music therapists, chaplains, hospice aides, and volunteers, will be available to help patients overcome the complex challenges of symptom management and psychosocial needs that may occur at end of life.

"The partnership means a continuum of care for the extensive community of MedStar Franklin Square and supports a long time need for inpatient hospice," said Samuel E. Moskowitz, FACHE, president. "We are pleased to be working with the Seasons organization to bring this vital service to the citizens of Eastern Baltimore and Harford Counties."

"The Seasons Hospice Inpatient Center at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center represents our long-awaited ability of our clinical team to provide the gold standard of inpatient hospice care for patients and their families, offering a homelike environment of support during their greatest period of need," said Dean Forman, MBA, Executive Director of Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care of Maryland. "The Franklin Square community has embraced this project and we cannot express our gratitude enough for their extraordinary support. We are excited to be a part of the community integrated into the MedStar Franklin Square care continuum. Every day we identify patients who would benefit from this unmet need and our ability to offer seamless hospice services is a source of great excitement for all of our team."

Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care will be celebrating the opening of its new inpatient center on July 15, 2014 at 9000 Franklin Square Drive in Baltimore. The Community Open House will take place from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and will be followed later in the day by a VIP Open House from 5:00-7:30 p.m. There will be a ribbon cutting of the new center at 6:15 p.m. with light appetizers and cocktails.

About MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center is a not-for-profit 378-bed community teaching hospital located in the White Marsh section of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. MedStar Franklin Square provides many medical and healthcare services, including a broad range of healthcare specialties, advanced technologies and treatments not traditionally found at community hospitals. The hospital is ranked third in admissions among all Maryland hospitals and is first in Emergency Department visits with more than 108,000 visits annually. MedStar Franklin Square is accredited by the Joint Commission and certified as a Primary Stroke Center and has earned some of the nation's most prestigious quality awards including Magnet Designation for excellence in nursing, the Excellence Award for Quality Improvement from the Delmarva Foundation and inclusion in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital specialty ranking for four consecutive years. With more than 3,300 employees, MedStar Franklin Square is one of the largest employers in Baltimore County. Visit medstarfranklin.org for more information.

About Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care
Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care is the largest private Hospice provider in the nation. Seasons offers high-quality compassionate care in 16 states through our 21 Medicare-certified programs and 10 Hospice Inpatient Centers. In 2013, Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care served more than 17,000 patients totaling 1.15 million patients days.