The new development officer for Arbor Hospice is hoping to increase volunteerism and maintain healthy donation levels as the agency expects continuing increases in patients.

Heidi Grix, who spent five years with the Washtenaw County chapter of the American Red Cross, began as the executive director of the Arbor Hospice Foundation and vice president of development for Arbor Hospice in June.

She said the mission of the hospice, where she had volunteered years before, attracted her to the job.

“I wasn’t looking for a new job,” she said. “The mission speaks so strongly to me that I felt I needed to do this.”

The foundation serves as the development department for the agency, Grix said.

Arbor Hospice, which is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, provided hospice care to about 1,500 people last year, CEO and president Gloria Danna Brooks.

The agency had $14.3 million in revenue in 2008, according to its annual report, including $1 million from fund-raising.

Fundraising efforts support the gap between the cost of care and what is paid for by Medicare and Medicaid; grief counseling; pediatric hospice; and charity care for people who are uninsured or cannot pay the costs of care.

Grix said her goals are to increase volunteer participation and maintain donations at a level that meets patients’ needs. She said the average size of contributions has fallen, but the number of donors who give repeatedly is rising.

“People are recognizing there is a need, and we’re thankful for that,” she said.

Grix is replacing Dawn Magretta, who held the position for 18 months, Brooks said.

Brooks said Arbor Hospice saw a 5 percent increase in patients last year. Meanwhile, according to a report earlier this year from the Blueprint for Aging project, the number of people aged 60 and older will double in Washtenaw County by 2025.

The aging of the baby-boom generation could bring a significant increase in the number of patients for Arbor Hospice, Brooks said.

“It could go higher,” she said. “The question will be how effective will people be in understanding when hospice care is needed.”

Freelance reporter Dan Meisler can be reached at danmeisler@gmail.com.