The Talbot Hospice Memorial Walk will return to Oxford this Spring as part of the annual Oxford Day tradition on Saturday, April 22^nd, at 1:00pm.

“We are so excited that the Memorial Walk is returning to Oxford Day,” said Mia Cranford, Director of Development. “The entire community is invited to join us to celebrate the lasting memories of their loved ones while raising funds to ensure that our programs and services are readily available to everyone in Talbot County.”

Participants may register as individuals or as part of a team, and everyone will have the option of launching their own crowd-funding campaign to reach their fundraising goals for Talbot Hospice.

The Talbot Hospice Memorial Walk will return to Oxford this Spring as part of the annual Oxford Day tradition on Saturday, April 22nd, at 1:00pm.

In addition to the group walk in Oxford, a virtual walk will also be available. Originally introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual walk has continued by popular demand to allow out-of-town family and friends to participate. It also provides another way to enjoy the walk for those who would prefer solitude or their favorite reflecting space.

Check-in for the in-person walk will begin at 12:30pm. Participants are encouraged to park at the Oxford Community Center and then walk or ride the shuttle to Bachelor’sPoint for the start of the walk, which will begin promptly at 1:00pm with opening ceremonies and the beloved dove release.

Participants may either walk with the group from Bachelor’s point back to the Oxford Community Center, or continue on to enjoy the Oxford Community Park before returning to the Community Center for music, food and celebration.

2023 Talbot Hospice Memorial Walk sponsors include: Blue Point Hospitality, Spurry Tire and Auto and Bay Imprint.

Additional sponsors are welcome, and interested individuals and businesses should contact Mia Cranford, Development Director, at mcranford@talbothospice.org.

Registration is $45/adults and Children 12 and free. To register for the walk, please visit www.talbotshopice.org.

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through Hospice and Palliative Care as well as its Pathways and Bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.

Talbot Hospice will host its first-ever Best Girlfriend’s Weekend at the Wylder Hotel on Tilghman Island over the weekend of March 17 – 19, 2023.

“We are excited to offer women in our community a weekend to relax and recharge with friends new and old,” said Mia Cranford, Talbot Hospice Director of Development. “The waterfront Wylder Hotel is the perfect setting to take a break from the day-to-day hustle and embrace opportunities for self-care and fun all while supporting the work of Talbot Hospice.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from personal and professional coaches, participate in meditation and relaxation classes, treat themselves to massage and spa treatments, experience cooking and cocktail classes, enjoy meals prepared by the Wylder Hotel’s culinary team, or just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery with friends.

Talbot Hospice will host its first-ever Best Girlfriend’s Weekend at the Wylder Hotel on Tilghman Island over the weekend of March 17 – 19, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Wylder Hotel.

Confirmed presenters to date include Carrie-Ann Barrow, professional coach and author of The Queen’s Decree, Sarah Danenmann, Relaxation and Meditation Leader, Chris Mitchell, Wylder Hotel’s Executive Chef, and Allison Prell, author of Good Night and Good Luck. More experiences will be added to the schedule. For the most up-to-date information, visit https://talbothospice.org/events/best-girlfriends-weekend/.

Proceeds from the event will support Talbot Hospice’s hospice, palliative care and bereavement programs on the Mid-Shore and ensure that these services are available to all, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Sponsors of the Best Girlfriends Weekend include O’Donnell Vein & Laser, Construction Services and Supply, Inc. and Scaling Strategies, LLC.

To register and learn more about the event or becoming a sponsor, visit https://talbothospice.org/events/best-girlfriends-weekend/, or contact Mia Cranford, Director of Development at mcranford@talbothospice.org.

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through hospice and palliative care, as well as its pathways and bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.

Talbot Hospice is proud to share that long-time Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Ernest Beasley, was named CNA of the Year by the Mid-Shore Nursing Assistant Advisory Council last month. Beasley was one of six Talbot Hospice CNAs who were nominated. Pictured are Mercy Pinder, Tammy Jones, Ernest Beasley, Virginia Wittington, Heather Bickling and Gidget Ross. Ky Jenkins not pictured.

Talbot Hospice is proud to share that long-time Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Ernest Beasley, was named CNA of the Year by the Mid-Shore Nursing Assistant Advisory Council last month. Beasley was one of seven Talbot Hospice CNAs who were nominated.

“We are thrilled for Ernest and our other nominees,” said Talbot Hospice Executive Director, Chris Chekouras. “Ernest is a tremendous asset to our team and this recognition is so well deserved. Patients light up when Ernest enters the room. His kindness, compassion and professionalism represent the very best of the CNA role at Talbot Hospice and across the profession. He is beloved by our patients, their families and his colleagues.”

Beasley is an Eastern Shore native and has worked in healthcare as a CNA for two decades and has been with Talbot Hospice for the past six years.

When asked what he enjoys most about his work at Talbot Hospice, Ernest shares, “working at Talbot Hospice allows me to discover amazing things about our patients and families, and they become like family to me. I am inspired by the strength of our patients and their loved ones.”

Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNAs, play a critical role in patient care at Talbot Hospice, in both Hospice House and In-Home hospice services. CNAs assist with the everyday tasks that patients may find too difficult to perform, and also provide emotional support to patients and their families. They keep patients comfortable, their environment clean and safe, and are usually the caregiver that patients and families interact with the most.

Other Talbot Hospice nominees included, Mercy Pinder, Tammy Jones, Virginia Whittington, Heather Bickling, Gidget Ross and Ky Jenkins

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through hospice and palliative care, as well as its pathways and bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.

Following a successful fundraising initiative at the end of 2021, Talbot Hospice has raised the necessary funds to name the final room at the Eleanor A. Koons Hospice House in honor of retired hospice nurse, Marjorie “Pete” Fox.

Fox, better known as Ms. Pete to her colleagues and patients, was with Talbot Hospice from its beginning and cared for hundreds of patients during her four-decade career.

“We could think of no better way to recognize Ms. Pete’s service and legacy than to name Room 12 at the Eleanor A. Koons Hospice House in her honor,” said Chris Chekouras, Talbot Hospice Executive Director. “We want her commitment to her patients and her profession to serve as an inspiration to all those who care for patients and families at Talbot Hospice for years to come.”

Following a successful fundraising initiative at the end of 2021, Talbot Hospice has raised the necessary funds to name the final room at the Eleanor A. Koons Hospice House in honor of retired hospice nurse, Marjorie “Pete” Fox. Pictured are members of the Talbot Hospice team with Justin Britcher and Ryan Helfenbein of Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnan Funeral Home.

Talbot Hospice surpassed its fundraising goal of $50,000 and raised $78,000 in honor of Ms. Pete. Contributions were received from families of former patients, hospice volunteers and colleagues, including a generous gift from Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home. At Ms. Pete’s request, all funds raised will be directed to patient care.

“Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam was honored to partner with Talbot Hospice in the naming of the final room at Talbot Hospice House in recognition of Ms. Pete,” said Justin Britcher, Regional Manager and Funeral Director at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam. “She was with Talbot Hospice for over 40 years and touched countless lives. Her impact extended well beyond Talbot Hospice, and she was influential with many, if not all, of our staff in Easton. Her humility, kindness, and professionalism has been used as an example for our staff in how to care for the deceased and their families. It is truly and honor and privilege to have worked with her, to know her, and to be able to honor her legacy with Talbot Hospice.”

An in-person room naming event is planning for Spring 2022 as COVID-19 metrics improve.

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through hospice and palliative care, as well as its pathways and bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.

Friends of Hospice has been sponsoring the Festival of Trees for 36 years and has raised over 3.7 million dollars to benefit Talbot Hospice with their mission to offer compassionate care and support to those facing end-of-life challenges.

Hundreds of volunteers work countless hours to purchase and craft ornaments to decorate 100 amazing Christmas trees. Local businesses and families provide sponsorship and venue locations for the success of the festival. The theme for the glittering trees this year is “A Winter Wonderland.”

As always, the centerpiece of the festival, held in the Gold Room of Easton’s historic Tidewater Inn, is the Hospice Memorial Tree which holds beautiful white doves honoring patients who were under the care of Talbot Hospice during that calendar year. This Thanksgiving weekend, visitors will be able to admire two Hospice Memorial Trees at the festival, one sponsored by John and Bridget Horner honoring patients from 2020 and a second Memorial Tree sponsored by Anne-Lise Fink honoring patients who passed away under Hospice care in 2021.

Plan to attend the Christmas Festival of Trees, to be held over Thanksgiving weekend from November 27-30 in historic Easton, MD. Visit www.festival-of-trees.org or call 410-819-3378 for ticket prices and more details.

Talbot Hospice Medical Director, Dr. Robert Sanchez, was recently granted the Hospice Medical Director Certified credential by the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board.

Talbot Hospice Medical Director, Dr. Robert Sanchez, was recently granted the Hospice Medical Director Certified (HMDC) credential by the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board. Dr. Sanchez earned this designation after meeting eligibility requirements, passing a comprehensive exam and demonstrating his professional competency in hospice and palliative care. The HMDC designation is granted for six years and is renewed through continued validation of knowledge and re-assessment.

“This certification helps our greater community understand what we at Talbot Hospice already know: Dr. Sanchez is deeply committed to providing the best possible care for our patients at the end of life,” said Chris Chekouras, Talbot Hospice Executive Director. “In addition to working with our patients and their families, Dr. Sanchez is a local leader and ambassador for hospice and palliative care and serves as a mentor to other professionals in the field.”

As Medical Director, Dr. Sanchez has overall responsibility for patients being cared for at Talbot Hospice. He works closely with an Interdisciplinary Team of nurses and nursing assistants, social workers, bereavement coordinator and chaplain to develop a comprehensive care plan for each patient. He also serves as an ambassador for hospice care within the community.

“I have been in awe and full of admiration and respect every day for the people I witness providing hospice and palliative care in our community,” said Dr. Robert Sanchez, Talbot Hospice Medical Director. “It is indeed a privilege to work with this dedicated and very vital organization.  We are also blessed in this county and on the Eastern Shore to have residents who make sacrifices and contributions to support Talbot Hospice to ensure that no one is turned away from receiving our services.”

Dr. Sanchez has been a referring physician to Talbot Hospice since its inception in 1981, became an Assistant Medical Director in 2015 and then Medical Director in 2020. In addition, he and his wife, Lynn, helped found the Child Loss Support Group in 1985, which continues today under the auspices of Talbot Hospice.

Dr. Sanchez retired from private practice in January 2021 after a 43-year career in family medicine. He is a third-generation general practitioner and graduated from Florida State University and then attended Creighton University in Omaha, NE for medical school and Family Practice residency. Following residency, he served in the US Navy at Cherry Point Marine Air Station in North Carolina.

Dr. Sanchez started Easton Family Physicians with Dr. Michael Crowley in 1980 and then in 2010 transitioned to a personalized health care practice affiliated with the nationally-recognized organization, MDVIP. In the later years of practice, he became primarily involved with geriatrics and attended patients in all of the local assisted living facilities in Talbot County.

When not sharing his time and talents with Talbot Hospice, Dr. Sanchez enjoys performing with the Tred Avon Players at the Oxford Community Theatre, boating, photography, gardening, bridge and most recently, pickleball. He and Lynn are members of Saints Peter and Paul Parish and have two sons, Robert in Austin, TX and Jason of Easton, MD. Their youngest son, Rion, was deceased in 1985.

About the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board

The Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB) serves as an independent, not-for-profit certifying body to administer a certification program for hospice medical directors and other physicians who provide hospice care for patients. The mission of HMDCB is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life by promoting the excellence and professional competency of hospice medical directors. For more information, visit www.hmdcb.org.

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through hospice and palliative care, as well as its pathways and bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.