Opening Strikes a Note of Hope : Van Nuys AIDS Hospice Dedicated

Dick Brett, a church deacon, befriended five residents who died at Pioneer Home, the San Fernando Valley’s first hospice for people with AIDS. But on Sunday, at a dedication of the 5-month-old home in Van Nuys, he and others spoke of hope.

“I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. . . . I was sick, and you looked after me,” he said, quoting from the Bible to about 70 supporters gathered at the home at Haskell Avenue and Valerio Street.

Rabbi Denise Eger of Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim in Los Angeles said he hoped for the day “when we’ll never have to dedicate hospice homes, when there’ll be a cure. . . .”

Brett, who leads AIDS support groups at Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley, said he has been touched by watching friendships develop between the residents, such as two named Michelle and Ben. “When he wasn’t able to get out of bed, she would come visit, and when she couldn’t get out of bed, she would yell over to him.” Ben died last month, Brett said. Michelle is living with relatives.

The five-bed home, operated by Hospice Los Angeles/Long Beach, opened in November after seven months of planning and renovations, using $65,000 in private donations from the hospice organization and the Valley Business Alliance, an association of gay business people.

Pioneer Home operates on a monthly budget of about $15,000 and has a staff of six. Its funding comes from Los Angeles County, private donations and medical insurance, Maceri said.

Since the hospice opened, 12 residents have died, said Manager Robert Marsh. Residents, who have come from all over the county, are expected to live less than six months.

Because AIDS victims often face rejection even by their families, more places like Pioneer Home are needed, said Larry Wine of Van Nuys, who volunteers for AIDS service groups.

Bruce Swicker, co-chairman of the Friends of Pioneer Home, said the hospice was a “a symbol of the coming of age of the San Fernando Valley” because the Valley has lacked the kind of AIDS service organizations that Los Angeles and West Hollywood have.

“We shouldn’t have to go over the hill for everything, including hospice care,” he said. A hospice is to provide care in a home-like setting and allow residents to be as close as possible to loved ones, he said. “If you have to go to Hollywood, you’ve defeated half the purpose of a hospice.”

Hospice Los Angeles/Long Beach also has hospices in Hollywood and in Long Beach.