FACILITIES
INVOLVEMENT RESULTS
FIRST SERVICES
TALENT
The quiet solace of the Hospice Chapel
F
ollowing the unexpected death of one of the physicians on the FirstHealth Hospice House team, staff members and volunteers sought out the quite solace of the nearby Hospice Chapel. When a patient and former spouse reconnected after a long separation, they chose the Chapel as the site for their remarriage. During an observation of National Hospice Week, staff and volunteers took part in a “Blessing of the Hands” celebrating the therapeutic touch of hospice care. The non-denominational Hospice Chapel, located across the campus from the Hospice House, is used for a variety of Hospice-related activities. Most often, according to Hospice Director Tina Gibbs, it is a place where patients, families and staff can take a few minutes away from the sometimes-difficult environment of hospice care. “Mostly, individuals, small groups and families come and go throughout the day for individual reflection,” Gibbs says. “We encourage that.” The 1,000-square-foot Chapel can accommodate up to 49 people and is equipped with audio-visual equipment and movable seating for a variety of Hospice-related services and programs.
14 Summer 2014
Hospice services The not-for-profit FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care serves residents of Moore and Montgomery counties. The 30acre campus is located minutes away from FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst and features an 11-bed Hospice House (designed as an acute-care facility for short-term pain management and symptom control), Administrative Building and freestanding Hospice Chapel. The campus is also home to the FirstHealth Grief Resource & Counseling Center, which offers programs and counseling services to anyone in the community who is dealing with life-altering illness or is facing the death of a loved one or who has already suffered a loss. The FirstHealth Hospice Foundation supports the work of FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care by increasing financial resources and community awareness.