Lehigh Valley Pocono President Elizabeth Wise announced Wednesday that the Hospice House in East Stroudsburg will be reopening.

The unit was closed to patients last spring.

Wise was joined by attorney Mark Primrose, who headed up an advisory committee made up of community members to explore options related to the Hospice House and the hospice program.

The advisory committee recommended reopening Hospice House.

LVH has made a commitment to fund the renovations and reopening of the house along with “a three-year commitment of philanthropic support and financial growth from additional community members using the service.”

Primrose said the committee has a number of fundraising ideas planned, including a possible telethon.

“Nationwide, hospices do not make money,” Primrose said. “But they serve a great purpose.”

When the hospice was closed last year the service was moved to Lehigh Valley Pocono.

Wise said that a good thing that came out of the closing of the hospice last year was the heightened awareness of the clinicians at Lehigh Valley Pocono and a new appreciation for what happens during hospice care.

“We remain committed to end-of-life care as we balance and reconcile the desires of the community with our organizational resources and the needs of all our patients,” Wise said.

Wise said that the plan is to reopen within 90 days. The renovations include new beds and some equipment as well as hiring new staff and meeting all of the regulatory requirements and approvals.

The Hospice House is located at 412 E. Brown St. in East Stroudsburg. The house originally opened in May of 2006 with room for six patients.

The house has a garden of inlaid bricks placed over the years in memory of patients who had been served by the facility.

When the house closed many of the family members removed the bricks. Wise said that they hope to hold a ceremony in the spring to reinstall the bricks if family members would like to do so.