LIVING WELL
Pictured are Hospice of the Golden Isles’ Auxiliary Members Sube Lawrence, from left, Melissa Stroud, Lori Fiveash, Ali Coleman, Melinda Dickinson, Lynn Lewis, Glenn Ferrell, Denisha Summers, Donna Johnson, Joan Hearn, Elain Goodwin, and Barbara Bruce
director, who is a board-certified doctor in hospice and palliative medicine. • It offers community bereavement services to residents dealing with grief and loss, even if their loved one was not in their care. The care Hospice of the Golden Isles provides differs from other types of healthcare because the focus of the non-profit organization is on honoring patients’ lives and offering comfort and support to their loved ones when curing an illness is no longer possible. This specialized care allows patients to have pain and symptoms expertly treated, with the goal of retaining clarity to enjoy time with family and friends. Hospice care is about helping people do the things they love for as long as they are able.
Hospice Auxiliary steps up to give back
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WORDS BY SISSY BLANCHARD, BECKY DERRICK, AND DONNA JOHNSON
Over the past two years, so many of us have faced new challenges and have been often reminded just how important it is to take care of each other. While it hasn’t always been easy, it’s been beautiful to see how people in our community and worldwide rose to the occasion and helped those in need. Locally, Hospice of the Golden Isles is one non-profit agency that continues to take on that mission. A community fixture for more than 40 years — now even more vital than before — Hospice of the Golden Isles, despite all the challenges that the pandemic brought with it, continues to
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G O L D E N I S LES
provide care for patients and their families in need, wherever they are and regardless of ability to pay.
A few key facts about Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI): • HGI is the only community-founded non-profit hospice serving Southeast Coastal Georgia since 1980 (serving families in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Brantley, and Charlton counties). • It cares for hospice-eligible patients facing life-limiting illnesses. • It’s the only area hospice with a free-standing inpatient facility, the Robinson Center, which provides acute/symptom management and respite care. • It is the only area hospice providing a residential patient facility, the Jolley House, for patients without a suitable home situation or caregiver. • HGI is the only area hospice that employs a full-time physician medical
The mission of the organization is to walk families through the end-of-life process with care and dignity. Many don’t know that Hospice of the Golden Isles also guides the bereaved families toward a path of healing from grief and loss. Providing care at this level is expensive and, while some of the costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, the gap is still substantial. Hospice of the Golden Isles relies heavily on community fundraisers and donations to cover uncompensated patient costs, and much of that comes to fruition from the hard work of a seemingly tireless group of volunteers — the Auxiliary of Hospice of the Golden Isles, a membership-driven organization dedicated to supporting the mission of Hospice of the Golden Isles through community awareness, fundraising, and patient projects. In 2008, the Auxiliary of Hospice of the Golden Isles was established to help support fundraising and community education initiatives. Janice Lamattina served as the Auxiliary’s first board president. She and her inaugural Board of Directors were instrumental in helping to grow Hospice of the Golden Isles into the vibrant organization it is today. Since its inception, the Auxiliary has raised over $800,000 in unrestricted funds for Hospice of the Golden Isles to meet the agency’s areas of greatest need. The Auxiliary has recently helped the organization make capital improvements to their Hospice House, including a new roof and the
