Thirty years ago, hospice care was a newly emerging concept on the Eastern Shore. For Mildred Barnette, it became a personal mission.
Having just lost her father after a long illness requiring family members to provide intensive care, Barnette jumped at the opportunity offered by the American Cancer Society and spearheaded by the Queen Anne’s County Health Department—to organize a local hospice service in a county that didn’t even have its own hospital.
Founding Hospice of Queen Anne’s—today’s Compass Regional Hospice— was a long and complex journey, and it required a rigorous program of educating the public about its services. Even the word “hospice” was mispronounced and today there are still lingering misperceptions about what they do.
As Compass Regional Hospice and the Hope and Healing Center, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Kent Counties. The staff and volunteers help people of all ages as they face the challenges of living with a life-limiting illness and learn to live following the death of a loved one.
Linda Mastro, Director of Marketing and Communications writes about the spectrum of services they offer:
‘“Care on your terms” is the promise that guides Compass Regional Hospice staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Denton. The Bridges program offers resources for people who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and are not yet ready for hospice. Compass Kids specializes in hospice and palliative care for the youngest, medically frail patients along with support programs and counseling for their families. The Hope & Healing Center hosts the annual grief retreat Camp New Dawn and a collection of support groups, individual counseling and school-based programs designed to help children, teens and adults live beyond the grief of significant losses.”
Here, Mildred Barnette describes the founding of Hospice of Queen Anne’s and, as Compass Regional Hospice, developed into one of the most important specialized care services in our area, providing care to patients of all ages in their own homes or the home-like Compass Regional Hospice campus.
The Spy also interviewed Heather Guerieri, RN, MSN, CHPN, Executive Director, Compass Regional Hospice, and that interview will be available
Compass Regional Hospice is located at 255 Comet Drive in Centreville. For more information, call 443-262-4100 or visit <a href=”https://www.compassregionalhospice.org” target=”_blank”>www.compassregionalhospice.org</a>
..
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.