Gustafson Center marks 1-year anniversary
July 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the ribbon cutting of the Marilyn B. and Mark E. Gustafson Center for Supportive Care on the Wooster campus of Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare.
July 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the ribbon cutting of the Marilyn B. and Mark E. Gustafson Center for Supportive Care on the Wooster campus of Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. The center was the culmination of a $2.5 million campaign launched in March 2021 to repurpose an existing building into a center that houses grief counseling, volunteer services and transportation services.
One year later the center continues to make a positive impact on the community, providing more individual and group counseling rooms for the Pathways of Hope program, a large gathering space for training and seminars for volunteers and the community, and space for the mobile care unit.
“As we continue to grow to meet the needs of the communities we serve throughout Northeast Ohio, the Marilyn B. and Mark E. Gustafson Center for Supportive Care enables us to provide care and support to the patients and families we are honored and privileged to serve, as well as members of the community,” said Kurt Holmes, executive director of Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. “The center has enabled us to expand our services, allowing for more meeting space for staff meetings and for three areas of our mission work.”
Pathways of Hope
Over the past three years, community participation in the grief groups and bereavement workshops offered by Pathways of Hope at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare has consistently increased.
“The Gustafson Center for Supportive Care has made a positive and significant impact in the delivery of bereavement services,” said David Hargrave, LSW, CCTP, CGCS, bereavement counseling professional at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. “It has allowed us to comfortably accommodate and respond to this increased need.”
Volunteer services
Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare offers volunteer programs to provide services and support programs that assist patients and families beyond medical care as part of the interdisciplinary care team. More than 150 volunteers contribute to patient care through defined roles under the supervision of the manager of volunteer services.
The volunteer services department has benefited from the additional space offered at the Center for Supportive Care. Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare hosts its volunteer support meetings in the center, which can accommodate up to 50 people in one location.
“The Center for Supportive Care has made a huge impact for our volunteers. The building enables us to have a dedicated area for volunteer work,” said Elisa Stoyle, manager of volunteer services at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. “Not only do volunteers receive continuing education and training in the center, but perhaps most importantly, they receive support from their peers as they navigate their current assignments.”
Transportation
The Center for Supportive Care also includes a transportation hub, allowing for the growth of Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare’s mobile care unit team and space for additional vehicles.
Hospice patients often need to be transported between settings in order to receive care. This may be from home to the hospice inpatient pavilion, from the hospital to a nursing facility, or to and from a doctor appointment.
The mobile care unit transport service grew out of a need identified when hospice patients were experiencing long wait times because ambulance crews were being called to other nonhospice cases. In late 2022 Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare added a wheelchair van and plans to add another mobile care unit in late 2023 to its transportation hub.
Community support
Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare is grateful to the donors and community for their support of the center and for the lead gift from Marilyn and Mark Gustafson. In addition to staff using the building for team meetings, community groups also have used the space for meetings and gatherings.
“We thank those who supported our campaign for the Marilyn B. and Mark E. Gustafson Center for Supportive Care,” said Katherine Ritchie, development director at Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare. “One year after opening the Gustafson Center, we see daily how this space has made an impact on three integral areas of our mission — bereavement, volunteers and transportation. It also has provided us with additional space as our staff grows.”