Construction of new facility for Jewish patients begins at Gilchrist’s GBMC Campus

Hunt Valley, MD - Feb. 8, 2016 - Gilchrist Hospice Care, the largest hospice organization in Maryland, has announced a major new initiative that expands its program to more effectively serve Jewish patients needing hospice care. Renovations and an addition to Gilchrist Center Towson will create more than 2,400 square feet of space for a Jewish chapel, family room, courtyard, kosher cooking area, and culturally enhanced patient rooms.

“While we have been serving Jewish patients for the past two decades, this initiative takes it a major step further,” said Catherine Y. Hamel, Executive Director of Gilchrist Hospice Care.

Gilchrist has partnered with The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore on the $6.8 million fundraising campaign for the Jewish hospice program and facility. Steven B. Fader, CEO of Atlantic Automotive, has been leading the campaign and has secured commitments from individuals, companies, organizations and leading foundations including the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation, the Judi and Steven B. Fader Family Foundation, the David D. Smith Family Foundation, the Whiting-Turner Foundation, the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Family Foundation, the Pearlstone Family Fund, the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Foundation, the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation and the Adams Foundation and Rodgers Family Fund.

While construction will not be complete until late spring, Gilchrist’s Jewish Hospice Program is already underway, providing both home and inpatient care. The program enhances Jewish patients’ experience by ensuring that the care and services they receive are sensitive to the rich tapestry of customs, rituals and laws around which they have built meaningful lives. The program includes all of the components of Gilchrist’s traditional hospice program, with added enhancements to ensure that the care is compatible with patients’ religious and cultural beliefs. Those enhancements include: a program manager with deep roots in the Jewish community; newly constructed space, including a Jewish chapel and family area at the acute inpatient hospice center Gilchrist Center Towson; and oversight by a specially-selected advisory committee.

“It’s our goal to ensure that our care empowers our Jewish patients to make the best choices for themselves and their families – decisions that are both respectful of their religious values and mindful of the medical realities of their prognoses,” Ms. Hamel said.

Gilchrist Hospice Care, a nonprofit hospice, provides the finest care through the end of life for patients in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. Gilchrist is certified by Medicare, licensed by the State of Maryland, accredited by The Joint Commission and is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

For more information, please call 443.849.8200 or email gilchristservices.org/hospice