DATE: Friday, June 27, 1997                 TAG: 9706270631

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   42 lines

BEACH HOSPICE OPENS FOR END-STAGE AIDS PATIENTS

The region's first residential hospice for end-stage AIDS patients has opened, thanks to community donations of furniture, labor, supplies and volunteers.

Maurus House, named for the patron saint of healing, can house up to three patients in a three-bedroom ranch donated by St. Gregory's Catholic Church. The facility is on Clearfield Avenue near Virginia Beach Boulevard between Witchduck and Newtown roads.

So far, only one patient is qualified to move in, but he hasn't made that decision, said marketing and development coordinator David Moscone.

``It's the toughest decision in anyone's life,'' Moscone said. ``They realize there's not much time left. That's the spiritual grip of hospice - it's preparing them to die.''

An open house is scheduled Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. so the public can learn more about the facility.

A team of medical professionals will care for the patients around the clock, including a nurse, social worker, pastoral counselor, on-call physician, physical and occupational therapists, personal care aides and trained volunteers.

The cost is $1,075 a month per patient to stay at the hospice, or nearly $36 a day. The average hospital cost for AIDS patients, Moscone said, is $650 a day.

He and his mother, Claire Moscone, are hoping to raise $100,000 for an endowment to be invested so that the investment gains would pay for the patients. Claire Moscone is the hospice's resident director and a registered nurse.

So far, $6,000 has been raised. Although the medical team is in place, the Maurus House needs volunteer registered nurses to work four-hour or eight-hour shifts. MEMO: For information, call Maurus House at 490-3200. Donations can be

made through St. Gregory's, 5345 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach,

Va. 23462-1896. KEYWORDS: AIDS HOSPICE

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu