Frontier Hospice moving to larger location

Frontier Hospice, a business that helps families cope with end-of-life issues, is responding to an increased need and making final arrangements for a move to a larger office space.

Jenna Justice, branch director of the Kalispell location, said the move from the heart of downtown to Bruyer Way, across from Edgerton Elementary School, was much needed.

“We’ll have more parking, thank God,” she said. “We’re growing, that’s part of it. The valley is becoming more knowledgeable about hospice care and the benefits of hospice care.”

The new building will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at the 42 Bruyer Way location.

Frontier, which has locations in Washington, Colorado, Alaska and three others in Montana, provides care and company for those with a prognosis of six months or less to live. 

The current location, on Second Street East, is cramped and has stairs leading to counseling rooms in the basement. This is a problem, as many who go to the hospice tend to be sickly or elderly.

The new space will expand total office space from 1,500 square feet to 2,400 square feet and will be all on one floor. 

“The two biggest physical improvements are going to be increased parking and all on one level,” Justice said. “The new space is so user friendly.”

The Kalispell location has been in operation for five years, two and a half of which have seen Justice at the helm.

“We celebrate the uniqueness of every family’s journey,” she said.

“We make sure everyone in the process has an equal voice. We don’t prolong death, nor do we hasten it.”

Justice admits it takes a tough person to work at hospice. Every client the employees work with will die in less than six months. But even then, it can wear on a person.

“First, we make sure we hire the right folks,” Justice said. “This isn’t a job you just walk into. You have to want to do this. I feel very strongly that to work for a hospice, you have to be driven or drawn to this kind of work.”

Every month, the 20 employees (of whom 16 go out and do rounds with the patients) hold a kind of memorial service for the patients who have died recently. The hospice is a firm believer in “self-care,” or making sure employee wellness is maintained.

The hospice cares for around 20 patients at any given time, some of whom join from the six-month prognosis and others who elect to use the hospice while on their death beds. 

That’s why Justice believes the new space will help employees as well as patients and their families feel more comfortable.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.