COMPASSUS MATTERS
Compassus volunteers inspired by mission trip to South Africa Medical volunteers sent to South Africa by Compassus to help Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program there, called the experience “life-changing” and “a privilege.” The Compassus team — three physicians, four registered nurses, a social worker, hospice aide and bereavement coordinator — spent a week in Cape Town, South Africa, educating and assisting the Living Hope staff.
The Living Hope participants were: • Michelle Berry, MD (San Antonio, Texas) • Megan Cahil (North Hampton, N.H.) • Karen Duncan (Columbia, Mo.) • Chad Dziedzickie (Colton, Calif.) • Laura Germann (Springfield, Mo.) • Scott Graham, DO (Norwood, Mass.) • Linda Hester (Gulfport, Miss.) • Maura Lipp, MD (Columbia, Tenn.) • Tyrone McDaniels (Newtown Square, Pa.) • Nichole Rowe (Manasquan, N.J.)
Since partnering with Living Hope in 2011, Compassus donates monetary aid, medical supplies and healthcare expertise to support Living Hope’s healthcare and hospice services in Cape Town’s impoverished communities. “I’ve been on several mission trips, but this was truly a life-changing experience,” says Maura Lipp, Palliative Care Medical Director at Compassus– Columbia. “I witnessed compassion and love like I’ve never seen from my amazing Compassus family and the miracle workers at Living Hope.” Living Hope, a ministry-based nonprofit, offers healthcare, counseling and education to more than 200,000 underprivileged Cape Town residents. Living Hope, with programs focusing on improving general health and hospice care, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and economic empowerment, provides inhome visits, medical clinics and a 22-bed inpatient hospice center. “I am grateful to Compassus for this opportunity to see the impact Living Hope is having in South Africa,” says Laura Germann, RN case manager for Compassus–Springfield. “Through education, prevention and loving people, they truly are bringing hope and breaking despair. It was a very inspiring and lifechanging trip.” “My time on the medical mission trip with Compassus was amazing,” says Chad Dziedzickie, a bereavement coordinator for Compassus–Colton. “It was a privilege to be part of a team of people with the hearts of servants, to serve the young and old in poverty and in need.” 2 Everyday Compassion Vol. 8 Issue 1