Calvert Ties Strengthen at Burnett Center Gathering

Community members, health leaders and local officials gathered Oct. 16, 2025, at the Burnett Center for Hope & Healing to mark the restoration of the adjacent Calvert Homestead Labyrinth and underscore expanding collaborations among regional providers. The event at 4559 Sixes Road highlighted Hospice of the Chesapeake’s role in addressing Calvert County’s growing needs for supportive care amid an aging population, through shared initiatives with partners like CalvertHealth and Southern Maryland House Calls.

Attendees numbered in the dozens, including representatives from county agencies and healthcare networks. The evening began with light refreshments and displays detailing the center’s offerings, such as art therapy sessions that encourage expression for those facing chronic conditions, pet therapy visits that reduce anxiety through animal interactions, and veterans-specific programs tailored to military experiences with loss. Healing modalities like reiki, which involves gentle energy balancing to promote relaxation, and Compassionate Touch, a non-invasive technique for comfort during illness, rounded out the integrative arts lineup. These services operate under Hospice of the Chesapeake’s broader supportive care framework, distinct from traditional hospice by focusing on quality-of-life improvements at any illness stage, often integrated with ongoing medical treatments.

Hospice of the Chesapeake President and CEO Becky Miller addressed the group from the center’s portico, emphasizing collaborative efforts to sustain independence for older residents. “Good news, bad news: We are living longer, but we are living longer with advanced illnesses and diminishing resources. This phenomenon is going to require communities to band together, get creative and pool resources to allow our older population to remain independent and healthy in the community,” Miller said. She outlined plans to deepen ties with local hospitals and government bodies, ensuring smoother referrals for grief counseling and palliative consultations. Such partnerships, Miller noted, leverage existing community strengths, like volunteer networks, to extend reach without duplicating efforts.

A central focus fell on the longstanding alliance with CalvertHealth, the county’s primary medical center in Prince Frederick. Kara Harrer, associate vice president of ancillary services at CalvertHealth, detailed the overlap in palliative and end-of-life support, including joint board participation where CalvertHealth holds a seat to align strategies. “Beyond the bedside, our partnership extends into the community. Through initiatives like the Community Health Improvement Roundtable, we are engaging leaders and organizations to address key health needs, including end-of-life care,” Harrer said. This roundtable, convened quarterly, brings together providers, educators and officials to tackle priorities like chronic disease management, drawing on data from county health assessments to prioritize interventions. For instance, referrals from CalvertHealth’s emergency department often lead to Hospice evaluations, streamlining transitions and reducing readmissions by coordinating care plans under Maryland’s health information exchange protocols.

The gathering coincided with announcements of fresh collaborations, amplifying the theme of interconnected support. On the same day, Chesapeake Supportive Care — Hospice of the Chesapeake’s palliative division — revealed a pact with Southern Maryland House Calls to deliver in-home services across Calvert, targeting homebound seniors with Medicare coverage. This arrangement, effective immediately, pairs house call physicians with interdisciplinary teams for symptom control and advance directive discussions, addressing rural barriers like limited public transit in areas from Dunkirk to Dowell. Eligibility requires a primary care referral, with initial visits scheduled within 72 hours; services cover pain assessment, emotional support and family education, all billable through standard insurance without out-of-pocket costs for qualifying patients. Becky Miller described it as a natural extension of community pooling, while Southern Maryland House Calls founder Stephanie A. Shepard highlighted its role in cutting hospital stays by up to 20 percent based on regional benchmarks.

Further bolstering capacity, Hospice of the Chesapeake integrated Partners In Care of Maryland on Oct. 23, 2025, under the new Chesapeake Health Partners banner This union preserves Partners In Care’s volunteer exchange model — where members trade skills like rides to appointments or minor repairs — while folding it into Hospice’s continuum for seamless handoffs in Calvert and neighboring counties. The move responds to projections from the Maryland Department of Aging, which forecast a 25 percent rise in residents over 65 by 2030, straining standalone programs.

Participants then processed along a wooded path to the labyrinth, a 47-foot medieval Chartres-style design of mulched paths and stone borders, restored through volunteer labor to echo its original 2001 construction . Donor Barbara Burnett, who gifted the 10-acre property in memory of her husband Robert, a local farmer who died of cancer in 2000, recounted its origins.

With assistance from a North Carolina youth group funded by the Robert P. Burnett Foundation, she built it as a personal tool for navigating grief, drawing on ancient traditions where walking the single path inward symbolizes release, then outward renewal. “I can only hope that all that walk or just stand inside will find their peace and answers as I did,” Burnett said, her voice carrying over the group as they encircled the site for a brief dedication. Open daily from dawn to dusk, the labyrinth welcomes all for free, with parking near the historic Lyle Simmons House; full moon gatherings occasionally feature drumming for added reflection.