Hospice care in Cambria
Hospice care on the coast in Cambria, with the same 24/7 nurse line as Santa Maria.
Care that comes to you
Cambria is farther than our valley towns, and we still come. Families on Moonstone Beach Drive, in East Village, and in the pines above Main Street receive the same team, the same visit standard, and the same after-hours nurse line.
We plan Cambria visits with the north-county route so your nurse is not a stranger to the drive. Distance does not change what is covered or how quickly we answer the phone.
If you live on a coastal lane or a wooded side street, give us parking notes on the first call. We will add them to the visit plan.
About 80 minutes from Santa Maria, via Highway 101 and Highway 46.
Questions about care in Cambria? Call (805) 361-0264. A member of our team answers day and night.
At a glance
- 24/7
- Nurse always on call
- 24–48hr
- Typical admission
- Medicare
- Hospice benefit for eligible patients
Three questions to shape the first call
Almost no family knows what to ask the first time. These are the three things we need to know, and what usually follows from each answer.
- 1
Where does your loved one live?
- A house in East Village or West Village — care comes to the home, and family caregivers are trained and supported.
- Moonstone Beach or in the pines above Main Street — coastal lanes and wooded side streets are welcome; give us parking notes on the first call.
- An assisted living or senior community in town — hospice is added on top of the care they already receive.
- A skilled nursing facility — we coordinate directly with facility staff so hospice fits the routine already in place.
- Still in the hospital — care can begin at discharge, or follow them where they are.
- 2
What is hardest this week?
- Pain, breathing, nausea, or hard nights — skilled nursing and pain management.
- Bathing, dressing, and transfers — a home health aide.
- Paperwork, benefits, or a conversation nobody wants to start — social work.
- Grief, fear, or questions of meaning — chaplain and emotional support.
- 3
Has a doctor said the illness is life-limiting?
- Yes — call today, and we will start arranging the certification and the first visit.
- Not yet, but the family is carrying all of the caregiving — call anyway. We will talk it through with you and with the doctor.
- You are still weighing hospice against palliative care — call and ask. Nobody is signed up on a first conversation.
What it costs and how fast it starts
What it costs
For most Cambria families, hospice is a benefit rather than a bill. Medicare Part A covers nursing visits, home health aide visits, medications for the hospice diagnosis, medical equipment such as a hospital bed, supplies, social work, chaplain support, volunteers, and bereavement care for the family afterward. Medi-Cal coverage is similar, and most private plans include a hospice benefit.
Medicare may still leave a small copayment for outpatient prescriptions and a share of the cost of inpatient respite care, and we verify your coverage and tell you what applies before care begins. Treatment for conditions unrelated to the hospice diagnosis stays with regular Medicare or your other insurance. We never require a financial contribution from your family, and we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. Because Cambria is about 80 minutes from Carmen Lane, we walk through your benefits by phone, and a social worker can bring the paperwork to the kitchen table on the first visit.
Full coverage detail lives on the eligibility and coverage page.
How fast care starts
Call at any hour and a real person on our team answers, nights and weekends included. A physician has to certify eligibility before care begins, and we help arrange that. From there, admission is typically organized within 24 to 48 hours of the referral, and we usually deliver medications, a hospital bed, and other supplies within 24 hours of admission.
Cambria is about 80 minutes from the Carmen Lane office, via Highway 101 and Highway 46 — a small, isolated town on the coast along Highway 1, and a drive the team already makes: East Village, West Village, Moonstone Beach, and the pines above Main Street. Families ask about the distance first. The drive does not change the timeline: admission is still typically organized within 24 to 48 hours of the referral. Hospice care is intermittent rather than live-in: your nurse sets a visit schedule with your family based on the care plan, and revisits it as needs change. The same interdisciplinary team follows the patient. Between visits, our on-call nurse is reachable by phone 24 hours a day regardless of the distance, and we can send a nurse to the home for urgent support.
Our certification and quality record is public on Medicare Care Compare.
What Cambria families receive
The full hospice benefit travels with us: the same team and the same services every family receives, plus medications, equipment, and supplies related to the hospice diagnosis, delivered to the home.
Where we provide care in Cambria
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Private homes
Most of our Cambria patients receive care in their own home, supported by family caregivers and our visiting team.
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Assisted living
We partner with residential and assisted living communities, adding hospice support on top of the care they already provide.
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Skilled nursing facilities
Our team coordinates directly with facility staff so hospice care fits into the daily routine already in place.
Wondering if it's time? Read about hospice eligibility or browse our frequently asked questions.
What Cambria families ask
Is there hospice care in Cambria?
Yes. Care happens wherever home is — a house in East Village or West Village, on Moonstone Beach, or in the pines above Main Street, an assisted living community, or a skilled nursing facility. Cambria is farther than our valley towns, and the team already makes this drive.
Do you really drive to Cambria from Santa Maria?
Yes. Cambria is about 80 minutes from the Carmen Lane office, via Highway 101 and Highway 46, then the coast along Highway 1. It is a small, isolated town with an older population, and the drive is the first thing families ask. The team already comes. The drive does not change the work: admission is still typically 24 to 48 hours from the referral, and an on-call nurse is reachable by phone at any hour once your loved one is on service.
How much will this cost our family?
For most patients covered by Medicare Part A, nothing for the hospice services themselves. We verify your benefits by phone and explain what is covered before care begins, and a social worker can bring the paperwork to the first visit.
How quickly can care start?
Typically 24 to 48 hours from the referral — the same timeline as closer towns, even though Cambria is about 80 minutes from Santa Maria via Highway 101 and Highway 46. Call any hour and someone answers, and once your loved one is on service a nurse is reachable by phone 24/7 regardless of the distance.
Do we need a doctor to call first?
No. You can call us yourself. Cambria families often call from East Village, West Village, Moonstone Beach, or a house in the pines above Main Street. Anyone can refer — the family, a doctor, a social worker, a friend. A physician does have to certify eligibility before care begins, and we help arrange that with your loved one's doctor. Nobody is enrolled on a first conversation.
Can hospice come to assisted living or a nursing home?
Yes. We add hospice support on top of the care the community already provides, and we coordinate directly with facility staff so nothing is duplicated or missed — in Cambria the same as anywhere else we serve.
Is care available in Spanish?
Yes. Say so on your first call and we will match you with a team member who can speak with you in Spanish.
Is hospice only for cancer?
No. We care for people with heart disease, lung disease including COPD, dementia and Alzheimer's, stroke, kidney or liver disease, ALS and other neurologic illness, Parkinson's disease, and general decline with advanced age.
Will a nurse live in the house?
No. Hospice care is intermittent rather than live-in, in East Village the same as on Moonstone Beach or in the pines above Main Street. Your nurse sets a visit schedule with your family based on the care plan, and revisits it as needs change. Between visits, our on-call nurse is reachable by phone 24 hours a day regardless of the 80-minute drive, and we can send a nurse to the home for urgent support. Give us parking notes on the first call.
If your question is not here, call and we will answer it on the phone.
View all questionsReady to talk about care in Cambria?
No obligation, no pressure, just answers. Call anytime, day or night, and a real person on our team will pick up.