SAN MATEO: County To Close AIDS Hospice Next Month
The only AIDS hospice in San Mateo County "will close its doors at the end of the month," the AP/Bakersfield Californian reports. The six-bed Belmont House, which faced closure earlier this year when Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco "could no longer subsidize a share of the house's annual $570,000 budget," will be supported until July 1 by emergency funding from San Mateo County and the city of Belmont. The hospice will reopen in July under the supervision of the San Mateo County Health Services Department as "an eight-bed facility serving" all types of terminally ill patients. County officials say the reorganization "will be a more effective use of AIDS funding." John Conley, San Mateo County AIDS program director, "said a substantial amount of the money previously used for Belmont House will go toward more services for" AIDS patients. "We're creating an array of programs that we hope will serve more people. More people are living with AIDS instead of dying right away. We have to be ready to deal with that," he said (6/14).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.