Mercy Hospice: a hospital-based program.

Coordinating the features of the hospice concept within the standard practices and policies of a general hosptial challenged those who developed the Mercy Hospice program at St. John's Hospital, Oxnard, CA. After two years' experience, they report on a program that has evolved to serve many different needs of terminally ill patients and their families both within the health care facility and in patients' homes.