Hospice House A Welcome Community Addition

Hospice House A Welcome Community Addition

When hospice care is needed, it comes at the rawest and most emotional of times in people’s lives.

The service and care provided is a critical piece to the end of life process for the dying as well as the grieving family.

When a medical team advises family hospice care is the next step, it can be devastating news because it represents the finish line of a life. Oftentimes families are not ready to let go of their loved ones, but high-quality hospice care, such as what will be provided at the brand new Macky & Pam Stansell House of Coastal Hospice by the Ocean, brings a certain amount of peace, calm and dignity to the process. It offers a graceful departure from the material world to the spiritual life.

In an effort to revolutionize medical care in this community, the Macky & Pam Stansell House of Coastal Hospice by the Ocean was dreamed up years ago and its reality was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony this week. The 20,000-square-foot building is located in Ocean Pines on 11 acres of land, featuring 12 private rooms as well as a living room, spa, kitchen and waterfront views. What makes this project so unique is it’s a hospice residence, which is the first of its kind on the Delmarva peninsula. Its service will include the customary care provided by hospice care social workers, doctors and nurses as well as palliative care, bereavement counseling and community education programs.

“This is literally a new product …,” Mike Dunn, immediate past chair of Coastal Hospice, said. “The resident hospice product does not exist anywhere around here, and Coastal Hospice is bringing this to the community of Delmarva.”

Through their leadership gift in excess of $1 million over the years in donations, the Stansells have truly provided a meaningful and lasting impact on the community they have called home for decades. While the Stansells have always been philanthropic types, especially with the Worcester County Humane Society and the Ocean City Lions Club’s wounded warrior golf tournament over the years, it’s their work and dedication to this new hospice care residence that will forever represent their most significant contribution to the lower shore community.

There was a void in hospice care in Worcester County with most in need of the service heading to neighboring Wicomico to Deer’s Head Hospital where Coastal Hospice by the Lake is located or points further.

Now, thanks to the tremendous generosity of the Stansells as well as dozens of businesses and individuals and government funding support, a major need for our community has been met. More than $6.5 million was raised for this facility. It’s a true jewel for our community, but it never would have happened without the tremendous generosity and leadership of the Stansells and likeminded community members who stepped up in the most significant of ways. Along with the obvious financial donations, the Stansells also donated their time throughout the facility’s extensive renovation process to bring their critical service to the community.

Senator Mary Beth Carozza put it well at this week’s groundbreaking, saying, “Our head tells us that we know the demographics of this area and the makeup of the shore, and we have a disproportionately higher elderly population in this area. But it is our hearts that tell us the true story of the comfort and security and compassion that Coastal Hospice and the team here will provide to thousands of patients and their families. And it’s always the personal experiences that bring deep meaning and value to what we are doing here today with the opening of the Stansell House of Coastal Hospice here at the ocean.”

About The Author: Steven Green

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The writer has been with The Dispatch in various capacities since 1995, including serving as editor and publisher since 2004. His previous titles were managing editor, staff writer, sports editor, sales account manager and copy editor. Growing up in Salisbury before moving to Berlin, Green graduated from Worcester Preparatory School in 1993 and graduated from Loyola University Baltimore in 1997 with degrees in Communications (journalism concentration) and Political Science.