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Yolo Cares outlines hospice, palliative and caregiver services to Davis Senior Commission
Summary
Yolo Cares presented to the Davis Senior Commission about hospice, palliative care, an adult day program and caregiver supports; commissioners learned the nonprofit operates across multiple counties, has a $15 million budget and relies largely on Medicare/Medi‑Cal reimbursements and philanthropy.
Clark Wright, director of business development for Yolo Cares, told the Davis Senior Commission on a rainy afternoon that the nonprofit provides hospice, palliative care, adult day services and caregiver supports across the region.
The presentation emphasized how hospice and palliative care fit together: "All hospice is palliative care, but not all palliative care is hospice," Wright said, explaining hospice generally serves patients with a life expectancy of about six months or less while palliative care can begin at diagnosis and run alongside curative treatment.
Why it matters: Yolo Cares describes itself as a safety‑net provider that fills gaps for patients who lack full insurance coverage. Staff said the agency offers interdisciplinary team visits (physician, nurse, social worker, chaplain), on‑call nursing, bereavement counseling and a volunteer program that supplies respite and companionship. Wright and other presenters stressed the nonprofit’s role reducing avoidable hospital visits by managing symptoms in home or community settings.
Program details: The Galileo Place adult day program is licensed and runs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., for adults with limited mobility or cognitive impairment. Joshua’s House provides shelter and end‑of‑life care for people who are unhoused; staff said Joshua’s House accepts referrals from major health systems.
Funding and scale: Presenters said Yolo Cares is licensed to serve up to 10 counties and currently operates in six (including Yolo, Solano and parts of Sacramento and Placer). Craig, a Yolo Cares leader, said the nonprofit’s annual operating budget is about $15,000,000 and that roughly 90% of revenue comes from Medicare and Medi‑Cal, with philanthropic support covering services that reimbursements do not. "Donations and grant work help to pay those" unreimbursed costs, one presenter said.
Partnerships and contracts: Yolo Cares staff named Sutter, Kaiser, UC Davis and Dignity among clinical partners and said Sutter has been a significant funder and referral source. Wright said Yolo Cares holds at least one commercial contract with Kaiser and routinely coordinates referrals with hospital discharge teams.
Access and equity work: The presenters described a $1,000,000 Life Transitions grant to research barriers to end‑of‑life care in rural and Native American communities across a five‑county service area, and they asked commissioners to help spread word of available services.
Commission response and questions: Commissioners asked about volunteer numbers, referral steps and local awareness. Staff said they have about 80–90 volunteers and that the intake process begins with a phone call, an in‑home assessment and collection of medical records to build a plan of care. Several commissioners said they had not known the services were available and encouraged staff to share materials with the commission to amplify outreach.
Votes at a glance: The commission approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and later voted to move the regular November meeting from Nov. 11 (a holiday) to Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.; specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
What’s next: Commissioners took a tour of the Yolo Cares facility immediately after the presentation; staff said they would share the presentation slides and referral contact information with the commission for wider distribution.
