Hospice Satilla

2019-2021 Board of Directors: (seated) Candice Moody Rice, Jeanette Hengeveld, Elon Gillis Galloway, Angela Manders (standing) Debra Golden, Brandi Waters, Rai B. Duane, Anna Wheeler, Deloris Gibson, Shannon Sewart, Laura, Morris, Tony Nelson, Tillie Lynch (not pictured) Dr. Donald Waters

STRONGER TOGETHER, STRONGER THAN EVER

Story by MEGAN WHITE

Hospice Satilla is a community-based hospice organization that has been serving the people of Ware, Pierce, Brantley, Charlton, Bacon, Atkinson, Clinch, and Coffee Counties since 1986. Their services include nursing care, physician services, social work services, spiritual support and counseling, home health aides, and trained volunteer support. The staff live and work in the communities that they serve, and they recognize the physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial needs of each patient.

In Partnership with Alivia Care Hospice Satilla has recently partnered with Alivia Care of Georgia to increase the resources and services that are available to their patients and families. Alivia Care of Georgia is a like-minded non-profit organization committed to supporting and sustaining community-based, mission-driven hospices throughout Georgia.

This partnership is a great opportunity to provide a higher level of care and resources for the local communities served by Hospice Satilla.

“Stronger together means supporting, not changing, the mission of our community treasure,” says Debra Golden, Hospice Satilla’s Executive Director. “Our mission has always been and will always be to help people live as fully and comfortably as possible when facing the end of their life, even when they can’t afford to pay us. For us, it has never been about being the biggest hospice provider. It has always been about caring for our friends, family, and neighbors by helping them live well. Through our affiliation with Alivia Care of Georgia, and in partnership with our sister agency, Hospice of the Golden Isles, we will continue to help our community live well for many years to come.”

Alivia Care of Georgia is led by Susan Ponder-Stansel, who is also President and CEO of Alivia Care, Inc. and has been a leader and advocate for non-profit hospice care for over 35 years. “We founded Alivia Care of Georgia to create an organization where high-quality non-profit hospices could join forces to share resources and work together to compete with their for-profit counterparts. We are so pleased to be able to work with Hospice of the Golden Isles and Hospice Satilla to develop Alivia Care of Georgia to support more people in more places as they face end-of-life care decisions.”

Rai B. Duane, President of the Board of Directors and former Executive Director of Hospice Satilla, said, “Although Hospice Satilla is a

Mission: To provide leadership to support innovative care solutions through best-in-class services, collaborative partnerships, and strategic investments. Strategic Intent: To partner with community-based hospice providers in Georgia to create and strengthen care solutions through vision, leadership, investment, and advo-

strong, well-run hospice organization with quality-rated care and amazing community support, the board recognized changes were coming that would pose significant challenges for community-based hospices like ours. Affiliating with a larger organization to share resources and access additional support was essential to ensuring the long-term success of our community treasure.”

In the Community The facilities of Hospice Satilla include the Hospice House, the Donald Waters Center for Caring, where patients can come for short-term or respite care and also a brand-new counseling and support center, the James Carl Jones, Jr. Family Center. This new center will offer many community programs including in-person grief support groups, grief education workshops, caregiver workshops and individual grief counseling. They have opportunities for individual volunteers or volunteer groups to support the mission of Hospice Satilla through companionship, office tasks, stocking the pantry available to patients and caregivers, providing birthday cakes and gifts, and to support the mission through donations as well.

Hospice Satilla serves an average of 300 patients per year, as well as numerous caregivers and family members, and their classes and workshops are open to the community as a whole.

A family member, Mary Howell, shares her testimony about her mother’s care. “When we brought my mama, Emma Dean Griffin, home from Jacksonville to Hospice Satilla in Waycross, we couldn’t have asked for better care or compassion for her and our family. We stayed with mama until her last breath. Mama’s brother and his pastor came and sang to her. Her nurse that night was so kind to us. He let my daughter, who is a nurse, listen to my mama’s heart as she was slowly going to be with Jesus. We will always be grateful and appreciative of Hospice Satilla. God bless each of the nurses and staff. They will always have a special place in our hearts.”

For Connie Taylor, the care provided for her mother, Mary Peacock, was invaluable. Connie says, “My experience was more than I would have hoped for. Amy Mock took such great care of my mom, and they shared a sweet bond. My wish for others who have terminal loved ones would be to not hesitate to start services. It gave us a great comfort to know help was only a phone call away. The counseling alone was invaluable to me.”

In their Resources Hospice Satilla allows caregivers to have extraordinary support and care as patients live their last days to the fullest. They offer resources for caregivers in their counseling and workshops and also in the opportunity to have respite care. This is a time for patients to stay for a few days while their caregivers make arrangements for their care at home or while their caregivers have a break to rest and focus on their own well-being. The staff partners with families to care for them as a whole, not only the patients but also their caregivers.

It is also one of the only hospices in the area that offers pediatric care and resources. One of which is their biannual camp, Camp Hope. Camp Hope is a grief camp for children ages 5-18 years old who have experienced a significant loss through the death of someone close to them. It’s held at the Lions Camp for the Blind and includes activities like therapeutic arts and crafts, horseback riding, games, bounce houses and small group sessions conducted by certified counselors to help them deal with their loss. Hospice Satilla offers this camp as an opportunity for children to process their grief and to give them an outlet to express their feelings and emotions, and it’s made possible through community donations.

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HOSPICE SATILLA

In their Mission Death is a natural part of the life cycle, and Hospice Satilla wants to help families and patients make life meaningful until the very last day. They believe that through the personalized services of their specialized team, patients can live well, with dignity and grace, until the end of life. OL

To find out more about Hospice Satilla, to volunteer, to attend a class or to inquire about hospice services for a family member or loved one, please call 912-285-2340 or visit their website, hospicesatilla.com.