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Holy Name has reopened its newly renovated Villa Marie Claire residential hospice facility in Saddle River, the health system announced Oct. 18. 

The 26-acre property now features remodeled, all-private patient suites, a dedicated chapel, library, dining room, horse stables, a swimming pool, and an outdoor pavilion for entertaining guests. The facility also has overnight accommodations for families and a playroom for children.

Renovations began in 2020, when the facility closed because of the pandemic. Supply chain challenges then affected construction, delaying completion, a Holy Name representative told NJBIZ on Oct. 23. The facility was able to open in August, with the broader announcement made last week.

The health care provider described the renovated facility as “a sanctuary-like setting that combines state-of-the-art medical facilities with functional home-like living spaces, allowing patients to fully celebrate life with family and friends.” Holy Name did not disclose the cost of the project.

“Holy Name completely reimagined the hospice and palliative care experience and how families can navigate the end-of-life stage,” Holy Name President and CEO Mike Maron said in a statement. “We are grateful to Governor [Phil] Murphy, Senator [Paul] Sarlo and the entire Legislature for bringing greater awareness to our effort to improve end-of-life care in New Jersey and for assisting us in creating this incredibly special place.” 

In July 2018, Villa Marie Claire received a $3 million appropriation from the state to further develop an end-of-life care model for the Garden State. 

“Creating a standard for the appropriate use of end-of-life-care resources will result in a reduction in state and federal costs stemming from unnecessary hospital admissions, ER visits, procedures, tests, and treatment,” Maron said at that time. 

“Governor Murphy and New Jersey’s legislative leaders have prioritized improving end-of-life care for our state’s residents,” the Holy Name representative told NJBIZ recently. “Recognized as a model for residential hospice programs, Holy Name’s Villa Marie Claire continues to receive bipartisan support in the budget to fund an end-of-life pilot program for the state.”

Holy Name cited a recent study from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, which found that the use of hospice care during the last six months of life is associated with increased satisfaction and quality of life. Additionally, this end-of-life care resulted in $3.5 billion in savings for Medicare in 2019, among other benefits. 

Services at Villa Marie Claire include around-the-clock care; social workers who offer comprehensive support services and bereavement counseling to patients and their families; and spiritual counseling.