Statement from San Diego Hospice President & CEO Kathleen Pacurar regarding the sale of its renowned Hillcrest campus

SAN DIEGO, CA - San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine President and CEO Kathleen Pacurar released the following statement regarding the sale of its property and impending closure.

“The sale of the beloved and world-renowned San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine campus to a major health care system is a promising outcome for the community of San Diego.

Scripps Health presented the highest bid for the Hillcrest property in an auction in federal bankruptcy court in San Diego on Tuesday, April 30. Sharp HealthCare was the other bidder for the property.

Having two great corporate citizens bid on the property, we are pleased with the news that Scripps Health will assume ownership of the campus to support its programs and services. More importantly, Scripps has expressed that the campus needed to be preserved for the community and to honor the memory of the thousands of San Diego Hospice patients cared for throughout the years.

It has always been our hope that with the sale of the property, the goal would be to uphold the profound legacy of Dr. Doris Howell who founded San Diego Hospice, and Joan Kroc who was an avid supporter of San Diego Hospice and who gave so generously to establish our campus. We are grateful that Scripps Health has expressed their desire to sustain these goals. 

The San Diego Hospice campus, recognized for its legendary patient and family care services, and for conducting world-class education programs for clinicians and medical students, housed California’s first and only freestanding specially licensed hospice-hospital, providing comprehensive inpatient care in a peaceful and tranquil setting. 

With the impending closure of San Diego Hospice and the sale of the property, we are grateful to the San Diego community for entrusting us with caring for individuals at the end of life for more than 37 years. The organization has been known for its innovative and life-affirming approaches to care for the dying and support for family members since 1977. Throughout San Diego Hospice’s history, our mission has been founded on the beliefs that no one should live in pain, no one should live in fear, and no one should die feeling alone. San Diego Hospice has helped to make these beliefs a reality for thousands of individuals living and dying with a terminal illness.

Furthermore, as we have asserted in our teachings, the concept of hospice should be built into the continuum of good medical care. There is hope for a higher quality of patient and family care for those on their end-of-life journey, through the incredible network of hospice programs that exist throughout San Diego, nationally and globally, and knowing that many former San Diego Hospice staff members and clinicians are continuing their passion in the field of hospice and palliative care.”

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Contact Information

Melissa DelaCalzada

Executive Director, Marketing and Communications

San Diego Hospice

mdelacalzada@sdhospice.org