Plano, TX – In keeping with its mission of improving quality of life for veterans with life-limiting conditions, Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity that provides financial support for patients nearing end of life and their families, has partnered with the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI, to sponsor the renovation of a designated area in the hospice wing for family and friends to convene during visits. Construction began in Fall of 2015 and the newly renovated space is now available to VA patients and their loved ones.
“This partnership is a unique opportunity to help veterans and their families spend quality time together during end of life,” said Kelly Mitchell, CEO and Founder of Heart to Heart Hospice and President of Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation. “We are privileged to honor those who have selflessly served our country.”
Heart to Heart Hospice has also partnered with the VA hospital to support the ‘No Veteran Dies Alone’ (NVDA) volunteer program and has provided volunteer services to veterans for several months. These volunteers provide companionship, constant comfort and assistance at bedside to ensure no veteran faces the challenge of death alone. “It has been such an honor to work with the incredible palliative care team and wonderful veterans in this facility,” said Lynn Jones, Executive Director for Heart to Heart Hospice of Detroit. “We’re so proud to be a part of the NVDA program and pleased our Foundation was able to financially support creating this special space for loved ones to gather.”
This partnership with the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center is a continuation of Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation’s benevolence to the community. In 2015, the Foundation provided 80 grants to patients or their families totaling more than $72,000. The Foundation recently endowed $25,000 undergraduate palliative studies scholarships at both University of North Texas and Madonna University in Livonia, MI, plus an annual, renewable scholarship for a graduate student at each university. The Foundation will also partner with the University of Southern California for multicultural palliative care research to develop an evidence-based series of palliative care resources. This year, the Foundation is poised to provide nearly $250,000 in scholarships; Alzheimer’s, veteran and cancer support; ongoing patient and family need grants; and end of life education to the community.
About Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation
Funded primarily through generous donations from families and friends of Heart to Heart Hospice patients, the Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit public charity that provides financial support for patients nearing end-of-life, their families and the greater community through various charitable programs. Each program includes financial support for critical unmet needs as well as much-needed education for the under-utilized and often misinterpreted field of hospice and palliative care.
Services provided include patient and family need grants; community and caregiver education and scholarships in hospice, palliative care and gerontology; financial support as well as legal services, transportation, legacy programs and educational grants for veteran organizations; and grants and other financial support for Alzheimer’s patients, their families and caregivers, and health care professionals.
About Heart to Heart Hospice
Heart to Heart Hospice, founded in 2003, is one of the largest private providers of hospice care in the United States. Headquartered in Plano, TX, Heart to Heart Hospice provides a broad range of palliative and support care services to patients with life-limiting illnesses across 26 locations throughout Texas, Michigan and Indiana. Services provided include nursing care; physician services; counseling and social worker services; homemaker services; physical, occupational and speech therapy; spiritual counseling and bereavement; and medication for symptom and pain control. At Heart to Heart, we understand the emotional and physical challenges associated with life-limiting illness for both the patient and their loved ones. Our care team is committed to providing patients with what they need most: freedom from pain, emotional and spiritual support, and the ability to control the direction of their care. To learn more about Heart to Heart Hospice, please visit us at www.hearttohearthospice.com.
About John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan
Since 1939, the Detroit VA Healthcare System has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. In 1996, the medical center moved from its original location in Allen Park, Michigan to the current location in Detroit. Now located in the Midtown area of Detroit, Dingell VA Medical Center services are available to more than 330,000 Veterans living in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties. To learn more about the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, please visit http://www.detroit.va.gov/ .