To the Editor:
As we look towards the holiday season, we want to take a collective opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude for our incredibly dedicated, compassionate and courageous hospice team members who have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic with grace and professionalism.
The last nine months have been extraordinary beyond anyone’s expectations and hospice teams are not immune to the impact of COVID-19. Together, Hospice of Charles County, now part of the Hospice of the Chesapeake brand family and serving the residents of Charles County, and Calvert Hospice, caring for the residents of Calvert County, want to send a very loud “THANK YOU” to our hospice heroes who care for those who need our care tirelessly each and every day without hesitation. In many ways, this is what they have trained for but nonetheless a global pandemic takes its toll.
Hospice is unique in that it offers an interdisciplinary team approach to care that includes a full focus on the mind, body, and spirit. Caring for the whole person during end-of-life allows our teams to address each patient’s unique needs and challenges regardless of the type of illness.
In addition to caring for patients at the end of life, both our hospices offer services in our respective counties for families and loved ones in need of grief support while living with the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19 and other illness.
As you count your blessings this season, please join us in gratitude of all our hospice heroes who sat at the bedside, held a hand, or shared a caring smile, even if behind a mask, of those we’ve lost and those grieving a loss in 2020. They are a very special team, and we are incredibly grateful for their service to others.
Gratefully,
Jean Fleming
Executive Director Acting President and CEO
Calvert Hospice Hospice of Charles County/Hospice of the Chesapeake
Michael J. Brady
Acting President and CEO
Hospice of Charles County/Hospice of the Chesapeake