Photo Courtesy of Omega House Omega House is soon to celebrate its 20th year anniversary. The hospice has grown its services over the years including respite care and grief support.

HOUGHTON –The arrival of September ushers in autumn and with it will come with the changing of leaves and the inevitable reminder of the finality of life. Back in 1999, a group of Copper Country citizens gathered to address the care of everyone who is nearing the end of their lives, which then led to the establishment of the nonprofit organization Omega House Hospice & Respite Care Services in 2005. In the 20 years since, the facility and its workers and volunteers have provided the essential service of care to those nearing the end of their lives and to provide support for those effected by the grief of accompanying the end of a loved one’s life.

The initial idea of creating a hospice to serve the Keweenaw came during a 1999 meeting at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock 1999. The meeting of around 40 people was made up of local physicians, hospice nurses and church groups. The group acknowledged the lack of a place where residents could be cared for when nearing the end of their lives who did not want to go to a nursing home or did not have support to pass at home. The meeting planted the seeds of the area’s first hospice.

Over the next few years the idea became reality with a capital campaign started in 2001, running for about three years. $1.2 million was raised and ground was broken at the future site of Omega House on Aug. 12, 2004. Construction continued into the next year with the facility opening its doors on Sept. 14, 2005 and admitting its first resident about three weeks later. Since then, more than 900 hospice residents have passed at Omega House. In 13 years the hospice has taken care of 500 residents, and averaging about 55 residents a year.

For the first 10 years of the hospice’s services, a board handled everything related to Omega House. Following the hospice’s 10th anniversary, the board decided to hire an executive director to handle a portion of duties and responsibilities. In 2016 Michael Lutz was named the Executive Director of the hospice. With Lutz being brought into the fold, the hospice could then market itself as a community service.

“When I took the job in 2016 it was really a position that was somewhat outside of my comfort zone,” Lutz said. “And running a home, whether it be a nursing home or a smaller facility like this, there’s a lot to learn especially when it comes as a nonprofit with fundraising and things. So you know what? When I look back on it, when what was kind of maybe a career change has kind of turned into a personal calling I would say. It’s a great place to work that challenges me every day, and it makes me do my best. I want to come to work here and everybody that I work with here just loves working here.”

When baby boomers reached a certain age, the need for the hospice grew. As the need grew, so too did the way to pay for residents’ care. While there is a daily rate for residents, nearly half of the residents’ families pay less than 40 percent of the actual costs due to community support, donations, grants and fundraisers. Some fundraisers are not driven by Omega House, but rather put together by families who want to contribute to the nonprofit, such as the Ride for Omega House ATV event. Payment plans are determined by family income and despite inflation in the past 20 years the daily rate only changed by $100. Veterans receive a 15 percent discount.

In 2019 the Gerald Vairo Fund was established to provide “no cost care days” for Omega House residents who meet the program’s income requirements. Vairo was a local attorney who was known for doing legal work free of charge. His family and best friend came to Omega House to start a fund in his honor, and over time the fund has ranged from offering 10 free days of care to the entirety of a stay. So far this year, the fund has provided over 500 days of free care to residents.

When the facility opened, it had six beds. Since then, the number of beds rose to eight. In 2017 Omega House brought in its respite program and since then Omega House has also hosted grief programs for those impacted by loss.

“We’re really focused on our grief program and offering that to different types of grief,” Lutz said. “Our newest one is grief associated with infant or pregnancy loss, stillborns and stuff like that. We had our first presentation a couple weeks ago, and there seems to be a need for that in our community.”

Even the facility itself has seen growth for what it can offer residents. A nearby trail was created in the hospice’s wooded property, which allows able residents to enjoy a stroll outside. Lutz said it is open to the community and non hospice residents can walk the trail.

The trail is not the only addition however, with added spaces coming to the facility to accommodate the needs for more laundry, storage, kitchen and more. Lutz said Omega House has an agreement in place with a local contractor or engineering group which will make the additions. The plans are currently being drafted with construction expected to begin next summer. Phase two will bring about four more rooms. The additions highlight the dedication and success of services Omega House provides to its residents and their families.

“You shouldn’t come in here and feel like it’s a terrible gloom and doom,” Lutz said. “We laugh, we share special moments. If somebody’s having a birthday, we have a cake. We celebrate those moments, anniversaries, any kind of thing that is important to the resident is important to us and we want to honor what was important to them when they were in the prime of their life, just as we want to make this portion of their life just as wonderful.”

To honor and celebrate the 20 year journey Omega House has been on, the hospice will host a two-day open house on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The open house will allow visitors to tour the facility and sign up for giveaways while enjoying refreshments. An easel will display the designs of the facility’s planned additions.