A program that has been available for decades through a Lackawanna County hospital will soon be coming to an end.

Eyewitness News has learned that the owners of Regional Hospital of Scranton will stop providing inpatient and home hospice services at the end of next month.

It was once known as Mercy Hospice before becoming the current Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice of Scranton.

Whatever its name, the program has served thousands of families over the years.

On June 30th, the owners of the hospital, Community Health Systems of Tennessee, confirm Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice of Scranton will no longer provide inpatient or home hospice services.

"It's very difficult because they service such a great area," Susan Aulisio, Clinic Service Director at Hospice Advantage in Clarks Summit said.

Aulisio used to work for the old Mercy Hospice as it was once known in Scranton and left just as Community Health Systems took over.

When asked if she was surprised by this latest news, Aulisio said, "Not really, no. Not given the history of what CHS has done in the past in some of their other areas in the country. I really wasn't surprised. I'm really surprised it stayed open this long."

In a statement, Commonwealth Health officials said, "demand for hospice services provided through the inpatient unit at Regional Hospital of Scranton as well as our in-home hospice services have become too low for us to sustain the service."

In their statement, officials also said other providers in the Scranton area will be able to meet the community's current and future hospice needs.

That includes Hospice Advantage in Clarks Summit.

Its employees know dealing with end-of-life decisions are tough.

"It offers compassion, compassionate care for the entire family so they're not just there for the patient.

They're there for all the family members that are involved," team coordinator Carol Feely said.

While admitting the market is over-saturated with providers, Susan Aulisio is sad by the decision to stop services at Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice of Scranton.

She says its history made it unique.

"We hated to see another program close," Aulisio said.

Hospital officials would not comment on any potential job losses this move would have or say exactly how many patients will be affected.

Here is the statement provided by Commonwealth Health:

"Dating back to its founding as Mercy Hospice, Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice of Scranton has a long history of providing end-of-life care for the Scranton community. Demand for hospice services provided through the inpatient unit at Regional Hospital of Scranton as well as our in-home hospice services have become too low for us to sustain the service. We have made the difficult decision to no longer provide inpatient or home hospice services effective June 30, 2015. This was not a decision we made lightly. There are several hospice providers in the Scranton area and we are confident that they are able to meet the community’s current and future needs. It has been our privilege to serve thousands of families through the years."

Officials also confirm there will be changes to hospice care in Wilkes-Barre.

Here is the statement provided by Commonwealth Health:

"Commonwealth Health is consolidating its hospice service through the Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice agencies of Berwick. At the same time, hospice services will no longer be provided by Commonwealth Home Health and Hospice of Scranton or Wilkes-Barre. While these agencies have provided hospice services under various names for more than a century, the volume of patients served has become so small that we cannot sustain the service. Our communities are fortunate to have a number of hospice providers who will continue to offer these services for patients and their families during transitions."