By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

SILVERDALE — Hospice of Kitsap County has launched a new division that will offer more services to homebound residents.

The state Department of Health issued a license this month to allow Hospice to open the new department, called Peninsula Home Care. Peninsula Home Care staff will assist with nonmedical household tasks like bathing, meal preparation, laundry and errand running.

Hospice Executive Director Corrigan Gommenginger said the nonprofit organization saw a need to give assistance to patients whose family members or caregivers aren’t able to give them full-time help at home.

“Some patients don’t have family,” Gommenginger said.

Hospice of Kitsap is rolling out the new service to its clients this summer and plans to extend the program to the general public in 2015.

The organization hired licensed practical nurse Michael Norton to head the new division. He said Peninsula Home Care will be staffed exclusively by certified nursing assistants. The aides will be on-call 24 hours a day and available for part-time or live-in care. Norton said the size of the staff will depend on the number of patients who request the service.

Clients will be assigned a dedicated caregiver in most cases.

“We’ll try to pair them up to fit situations and personalities,” Norton said.

While aiding with everyday tasks, Peninsula Home Care staff also will keep clients active, arranging transportation and helping with their hobbies.

Gommenginger said Hospice of Kitsap has been planning to add an in-home care unit for the past year. The new license makes it the only agency in the county authorized to provide nonmedical in-home care and in-home hospice care. Hospice of Kitsap also provides inpatient hospice care in Bremerton, and it recently launched a palliative care unit to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from painful illnesses.

Gommenginger said the addition of nonmedical in-home assistance will make it easier to coordinate all-around care for hospice and palliative patients.

Hospice of Kitsap is entering a competitive field with its foray into in-home care. A number of private agencies already offer home assistance in West Sound.

The organization has also faced increasing competition in the area of in-home hospice care, with Franciscan Health System joining the Kitsap market five years ago. Hospice of Kitsap still is the largest provider of hospice care in the county.

Gommenginger said the addition of Peninsula Home Care will broaden and strengthen the organization’s programs. But the main impetus remains improving quality of life for residents.

“We’re doing it to support the patients,” he said.