Anne’s County Commissioner Jim Moran; Sen. Stephen Hershey, R-36-Upper Shore; Del. Steve Arentz, R-36-Queen Anne’s; Compass Regional Hospice Chief Medical Director Dr. Thomas Walsh; Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Jack Wilson; Secretary Robert Neall with the Maryland Department of Health; and Centreville Town Council President Tim McCluskey.
On Wednesday September 19, 2018 Compass Regional Hospice, serving Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties, hosted a groundbreaking and donor recognition ceremony for the upcoming expansion of its Hospice Center in Centreville from a six- to a 10-bed facility.
In her welcome message Heather Guerieri, executive director, Compass Regional Hospice; and president of the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland said “This is a milestone achievement for Compass Regional Hospice. Since 1985, we have had the honor of serving the residents of Queen Anne’s County, and more recently, in 2014, we regionalized and now serve the communities of Kent and Caroline counties, as well. We are not just a hospice provider, but also the regional provider of grief support services to our three counties,” Guerieri said. “With the growing need for these grief and bereavement services in our communities, so grows the necessity for expanded space to be able to fill those needs, hence the need for the current renovations to our Hope and Healing Center, which began August 13 and will be completed in the next several weeks.”
Guerieri continued, “Our community deserves quality inpatient hospice care, and through this expansion, we are making sure they have access to that care.”
Those in attendance were Maryland Department of Health Secretary Robert Neall representing Governor Larry Hogan, who was unable to attend. Other elected officials and their representatives included Congressman Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st; Harris’ Constituent Liaison and a Compass Regional Hospice volunteer, Mike Arntz; Kim Kratovil, also a Compass volunteer, with the Office of U.S. Senator Ben Cardin; Melissa Kelly with the Office of U.S. Senator Chris VanHollen; Dave Wooten with the Office of Comptroller Peter Franchot; Sen. Stephen Hershey, R-36-Upper Shore; Del. Steven Arentz, R-36-Queen Anne’s; Del. Jay Jacobs, R-36-Kent; Del. Jeff Ghrist, R-36-Caroline; Queen Anne’s County Commissioners Jim Moran, Jack Wilson and Robert Buckey; Caroline County Commissioner Wilbur Levengood; Centreville Town Council President Tim McCluskey; Centreville Town Council Vice President Jim Beauchamp; Queen Anne’s County Administrator Gregg Todd; and Clerk of Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County Scott MacGlashan.
The initial campaign goal for the expansion was 4 million dollars. They are now just 600,000 short of that goal. Before the last Legislative Session Kathy Deoudes, chair of the board of directors for Compass Regional Hospice and chair of the organization’s Capital Campaign Committee, went to the 36th District representatives, Senator Stephen Hershey and Delegates Steven Arentz (Queen Anne’s County), Jay Jacobs (Kent County) and Jeff Ghrist (Caroline County) and 1 Million Dollars is being granted to the organization by the state.
Congressman Andy Harris, who is also a physician, said that when he was in medical school in the 1970’s the focus was on treating illness and not preventive care or talking care of people once treatment is no longer going to work. He added “Our federal health care system is still directed at treating illness” adding “I’m glad to play whatever part I can to make sure that our federal programs support what you do here, cause you’re really taking care of patients and their families during one of the most critical times of their lives.”
Hospice is a needed service and Compass Regional Hospice is fulfilling that need in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline Counties.
More Photos of the Ground Breaking can be seen on FB at ShoreToBeFun Photographs