Treatment and Care
SCAAN Treatment Initiatives and Government Programs
Pennsylvania State Drug Program
Ryan White CARE Act
Ryan White CARE Act
Caring for the Dying
During the earlier years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, treatment was less effective and the disease was harder to manage. This meant there was a lot of loss and there was a great need for end of life care specifically for those with AIDS.
York House Hospice
One of the most successful AIDS hospices in Central Pennsylvania was York House Hospice. It was started by Joy Ufema, a nationally renowned nurse for her work with end of life patients. Ufema was inspired to start a hospice care house for AIDS patients when she saw a plastic letter A under her favorite tree. She took this letter as a sign to devote her time to helping AIDS patients in the final moments of their lives. Ufema then purchased a brownstone in York, Pennsylvania from the mayor for the total price of one dollar that became the site of York House Hospice.
York House Hospice was operational from 1991 until 1996. It was a non-profit that relied financially on government grants and on community support. During that five year period, York House Hospice provided end of life care for 95 patients, including a 5 year old boy born with HIV and his mother. The house had a total of three beds for patients.
York House Hospice was operational from 1991 until 1996. It was a non-profit that relied financially on government grants and on community support. During that five year period, York House Hospice provided end of life care for 95 patients, including a 5 year old boy born with HIV and his mother. The house had a total of three beds for patients.
Ufema and the York House Hospice staff sought to make the Hospice a comforting and warm environment. There was an emphasis on attention to detail and listening to the patients. Family was always welcome at York House Hospice and there was a room designated for family that was traveling from far away to be their loved ones during their final moments. York House Hospice even had a house cat that would provide comfort to the patients.
York House Hospice was a comfortable and caring place where many people suffering from AIDS in Central Pennsylvania spent their final moments. The work that Ufema and her staff did was hard but it was needed for the patients themselves and the greater community. As treatment began to improve and people with HIV/AIDS were able to live longer due to better management of the disease, there was less demand for an AIDS hospice.
York House Hospice was a comfortable and caring place where many people suffering from AIDS in Central Pennsylvania spent their final moments. The work that Ufema and her staff did was hard but it was needed for the patients themselves and the greater community. As treatment began to improve and people with HIV/AIDS were able to live longer due to better management of the disease, there was less demand for an AIDS hospice.
We're gonna have a tone in this hospice of love and acceptance and peace. And it's not going to be clinical." -Joy Ufema, Oral History
