This October, Hospice of Humboldt is celebrating 10 years since the opening of the Ida Emmerson Hospice House, a place that has cared for thousands of local patients and welcomed countless family members and loved ones since opening its doors in October 2016.
To mark this special milestone, Hospice of Humboldt invites the community to an open house at the Ida Emmerson Hospice House on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. Community members are welcome to stop by, enjoy light refreshments, visit the Hospice House and join Hospice of Humboldt in celebrating and honoring all this special place has meant to North Coast patients and families over the past decade.
Surrounded by redwoods on Hospice of Humboldt’s Eureka campus, the Hospice House provides a peaceful, home-like setting for patients who need around-the-clock hospice care. It remains the only specialized inpatient hospice facility on the North Coast, allowing patients to receive this level of care close to home and the people they love.
Over the past decade, the Hospice House has been part of thousands of deeply personal stories. Families have gathered around bedsides, shared meals and memories, celebrated special occasions, brought beloved pets to visit, and spent precious time together while Hospice of Humboldt’s team cared for and supported both patients and their loved ones.
“For 10 years, the Ida Emmerson Hospice House has been here for our community during some of life’s most difficult and meaningful moments,” said Dianne Keating, CEO of Hospice of Humboldt. “It is so much more than a building. It is a place where families can simply be together while our team focuses on providing the care and support they need.”
The Hospice House was built with 12 private patient rooms, but for many years Hospice of Humboldt staffed six rooms at a time. As the need for inpatient hospice care grew, the community stepped forward once again. Through the Compassionate Growth Campaign, donors helped Hospice of Humboldt open all 12 rooms in 2025, doubling its inpatient capacity and allowing more local families to access specialized hospice care when they need it most.
The 10-year anniversary also comes as Hospice of Humboldt celebrates national recognition for the quality of its care. Hospice of Humboldt has earned a 5-Star rating from Medicare, the highest rating available through Medicare’s hospice rating system and one based on feedback from family members and caregivers of hospice patients.
This distinction places Hospice of Humboldt among a small group of hospice providers to achieve Medicare’s highest rating, with only 5% of hospices in California and 15% nationwide earning 5 stars.
“The Ida Emmerson Hospice House exists because this community believed local families deserved a place like this close to home,” Keating said. “Ten years later, our community continues to make this care possible. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped create and continues to support this special place.”
The community is invited to help celebrate this milestone on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Ida Emmerson Hospice House. The open house will offer an opportunity to gather, enjoy light refreshments, and reflect on 10 years of care, connection and precious time shared by thousands of North Coast families.
As Hospice of Humboldt looks toward the next decade, the organization remains committed to ensuring that North Coast patients and their loved ones have access to expert, compassionate care, close to home and surrounded by the people they love.
About Hospice of Humboldt
Hospice of Humboldt is a local, independent nonprofit that has served North Coast families since 1979. Hospice of Humboldt provides hospice care, home-based palliative care and grief support and operates the Ida Emmerson Hospice House, the North Coast’s only specialized inpatient hospice facility. Hospice of Humboldt is a Medicare 5-Star hospice.