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Hospice Ministries

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Hospice Ministries

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Ridgeland, MS

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Our Story

Every family at some point will be faced with a decision about end-of-life care for a loved one. Although it may sound like an unpleasant thought, it shouldn’t be viewed that way. Death is as natural as birth, and every day and every moment are a gift from our Creator. The belief that every moment counts is fundamental to the core values of Hospice Ministries, who this year is celebrating thirty years of serving patients and families in Mississippi.

The mission statement of Hospice Ministries is simple: “We bridge the gap between life and death by being present, offering hope, and expanding knowledge through compassionate service to the community. We provide care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, regardless of their ability to pay.” Hospice Ministries is a non-for-profit organization and is unique as it operates under the belief that an individual’s last days are as important and as special as every other day in this person’s life.

The Hospice Ministries story began in 1988 when a local oncologist, Dr. Gerry Ann Houston, became burdened that patients with chronic illnesses were not always getting the special end-of -life care that they needed. She felt that people in their last days, weeks, or months should be able to be in a comfortable place, such as their own home, if they desired, surrounded by their family and the things they treasured most here on Earth. She, along with businessman, Dan Broughton, started Hospice of Central Mississippi. It was the first home hospice of its kind in Central Mississippi.

A few years later in 1992, Hospice of Central Mississippi was approached by Dot Cannon of the Willing Heart Circle in Brookhaven about starting a hospice in that community. Hospice was still a new concept, but it was a good concept that was being quickly adopted by families who wanted to have the best possible experience with loved ones who were dying. The Brookhaven community embraced this concept, and a branch of Hospice of Central Mississippi was started. Many patients and families in this area continue to benefit from Dot Cannon’s vision.

In 1997 Hospice of Central Mississippi joined with Whispering Pines Hospice, an inpatient hospice in South Jackson. Whispering Pines Hospice accepted its first patients in 1991 after a committee formed by the bishops of the Catholic, Episcopal, and United Methodist Churches in Mississippi had begun working two years earlier to establish a residential facility for patients who were terminally ill. The Ecumenical Health Care Organization (EHCO), the board of the three-church group, was committed to forming an inpatient hospice so that patients with no family or no home would have a place of comfort in which to spend their final days. The inpatient hospice was located in South Jackson on Raymond Road in a building that originally housed Whispering Pines Nursing Home. When it was initially opened, Whispering Pines Hospice had 10 beds, but by 1995 the census had increased to 36. Patients were admitted to Whispering Pines if a physician certified that their life expectancy was less than a year. Many HIV/AIDS patients were cared for by the loving staff at Whispering Pines, as other facilities would not accept them. Jean Jones, a member of the EHCO, was the director of Whispering Pines, and Dr. William Causey was appointed Medical Director. Dr Causey led the 30 member staff and worked diligently to keep the patients pain and symptom free. His tenure extended beyond the time of the merger with Hospice of Central Mississippi to form Hospice Ministries, Inc.

The philosophy of Hospice Ministries is to go above and beyond the usual care provided for patients in their last days. Some of the employees have been with the organization since the early days, and all proclaim that hospice care is a calling; it’s not just a job. It’s not unusual to find a nurse singing to a patient, a staff member making a special batch of cookies for a family, or a social worker going out of her way to arrange a date night for a couple in hospice or plan a prom night for a young patient. The Hospice Ministries’ team will repeatedly tell everyone that hospice is not about dying – it’s about living every single day to make every moment count.

To learn more about Hospice Ministries, Inc, and how to become involved, visit HospiceMinistries.org.