State of the Heart Care

The mission of State of the Heart Care is to serve our communities by providing individualized, exceptional care to patients and families experiencing a life-limiting illness, enhancing their quality of life. We provide medical, emotional and spiritual services to help terminally ill patients and their families face the end of life with dignity and comfort. Since 1981, State of the Heart has provided this compassionate, quality end-of-life care to over 11,000 families. The non-profit program has its roots in the local community and was a pioneer in the hospice movement in the United States. It was the first rural-based hospice program in the U.S. that served a totally rural community. State of the Heart has been known for over a quarter of a century for its commitment to providing the best hospice care possible to families and patients confronting a life-limiting illness. The local program is the result of two former programs merging in the 1980s: Hospice of Darke County and Mercer County Hospice. Each was founded by a group of concerned citizens who had a similar interest in providing home care to patients who were confronting a life-limiting illness. State of the Heart Hospice also has an office located in Portland, Indiana, serving eastern Indiana. State of the Heart Hospice has a unique team approach to caring for both patient and family. The team consists of physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, bereavement specialists, chaplains, music therapists, and volunteers. The team acts as the support network and provides physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual care to both patient and family. State of the Heart Hospice relies on financial support from the community. No patient is ever denied care based on an inability to pay. Hospice is based on the philosophy that no patient need die alone, in pain, feeling a burden to family and friends.