Driven by the vision that everyone needs access to quality healthcare at the end of life, Hospice & Community Care (HCC) has remained focused on increasing access to hospice care, improving patient quality of life, and supporting patients and families on their journey. As the area’s only nonprofit, independent, and community-based hospice provider featuring our own inpatient facility, we depend on community support to ensure the highest quality care for our patients. We are proud to announce a generous gift from The Herbert and Anna Lutz Foundation that will support families staying at the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House for years to come.
The Lutz Foundation is a Chester, South Carolina family foundation established in 1993, which makes grants supporting Education, Community, Health, and Welfare. A long-time supporter of Hospice & Community Care, the mission of The Lutz Foundation is to reach as many lives and programs as possible with funds available. The Board also desires that Herbert and Anna Lutz’s legacy continue to enrich our community as they fulfill their commitment to “Caring and Contributing” to their neighbor’s needs. Visiting the Hospice & Community Care campus in 2021, pictured to the right are Foundation President Dewey Guyton, Vice-President and Treasurer Joan Guyton, and Board Member Shelia Bishop of the Lutz Foundation along with Hospice & Community Care CEO Jennifer Graham.
The National Institute on Aging considers comfort care “an essential part of medical care at the end of life.” After almost 14 years of service to local patients and their families, the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House requires crucial updates to ensure that physical comfort is never an issue during one’s last days on Earth. Built in 2008, the Hospice House houses 16 dedicated rooms providing comfort and privacy for terminally ill patients while allowing family members to be with their loved ones in a home-like environment. Hospice & Community Care CEO Jennifer Graham shares that “no family member visiting their loved one on our campus should have to worry about their comfort during their stay.” Open 24/7, the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House is home to upwards of three patients and their families in one week. In addition to patient beds and other equipment, each room is furnished with a recliner and sofa bed. Many caregivers, friends, and family members seek a comfortable seat to spend their last days with their loved ones and a sofa bed to lay their head down during an overnight stay.
Each year, we invest in a select few updates to our inpatient facility. While these updates enhance the hospice care experience, ultimately, the furnishings that patients and their families rest themselves on make all the difference during their last days together. The Lutz Foundation recognized this need during their annual grant making process and awarded Hospice & Community Care with funding to replace a total of 12 recliners (6) and sofa beds (6). Our staff have been working with a hospital-grade furnishings distributor and have selected recliners and sofa beds that are sure to keep our patients and their guests as comfortable as possible. These furnishings will also meet all fire and safety standards required of hospital facilities as well as medical-grade
germ protection.
As a nonprofit hospice care organization operating our own stand-alone inpatient facility, the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House, we are proud to provide care that always meets or exceeds the highest standards of excellence. This promise of care is only possible with the generous support of community partners like The Lutz Foundation. Their continued investment in our care allows our team to foster and support a caring environment for each person’s final moments. Through responsible stewardship of our resources and dedicated support from our community, Hospice & Community Care can ensure the continuity of our programs and services for those in need.
We want to extend our appreciation for the Lutz Foundation’s support of our organization and our community.
Learn more about the Lutz Foundation and the other amazing projects their grants support on their website.
Pictured left: Current inpatient facility room at the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House. Stay tuned for a follow up release to include photos of our furniture updates.
Hospice & Community Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emotional, spiritual, and medical care for patients at the end of life, support for families and caregivers, and programs to educate the community. We have proudly served the counties of York, Chester, Lancaster, Cherokee, Fairfield, and Union since 1985. Our mission is to give hope, comfort, and compassion to our community when needed most.
