Multi-Million Dollar Grief Center Opens
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowVisiting Nurse in Fort Wayne has dedicated a new Community Grief Center. Funding for the facility came from a $4.6 million capital campaign that is nearly complete. June 3, 2015
News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (June 2, 2015) – Adults in Northeast Indiana have access to free help in coping with the death of a spouse, friend, or loved one through the new Community Grief Center created on the campus of Visiting Nurse at 5910 Homestead Road in Fort Wayne. This new Community Grief Center is one of only a few in the region.
The new 22,000-square-foot was dedicated in a ceremony this morning. “The mission of Visiting Nurse is to provide compassionate care to alleviate suffering and ensure quality of life,” stated Phyllis Hermann, CEO. “In addition to the families served by our hospice, our entire community will benefit from the services provided at this beautiful Community Grief Center. Grief support is available to any adult who has suffered the death of a loved one – and this is provided at no charge.”
The $4.6 million capital campaign is still underway to raise the remaining funds for the Community Grief Center. To date, more than $4.4 million or approximately 96 percent has been raised from area foundations, corporations and private donors. In addition, Visiting Nurse has established a foundation to earmark funds for the on-going operational needs of the Community Grief Center. Now, individuals can support the construction of the Center with their donations by visiting the web site at www.vnfw.org or by sending a check payable to Community Grief Center Capital Campaign, c/o Visiting Nurse, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN, 46814.
Community Grief Center Background
Grief that is ignored or suppressed can lead to other emotional and physical health problems, with economic consequences as well. Visiting Nurse provides grief support now to hospice families, as required by Medicare. In addition, the Grief Support Team has also been providing grief support services to grieving adults – unrelated to hospice involvement – free of charge. The new Center will allow Visiting Nurse to expand grief services to area adults, in a space that is conducive to healing and support.
The new Community Grief Center addresses a growing need for grief support aimed specifically at adults, with the goal of supporting and assisting grieving adults as they return to a full and productive life.
In addition to the Grief Center, the building will accommodate more office space needed as the result of growth in the Visiting Nurse hospice and palliative care programs. The Center will feature two levels, with the lower floor providing needed capacity to house current Visiting Nurse operations such as staff education and orientation, which have outgrown existing space. The top floor will be home to the Community Grief Center and will feature offices for private counseling, larger rooms for group counseling, a water feature and sunroom, all designed to enhance healing and comfort for grieving adults.
Visiting Nurse is uniquely positioned to provide this much-needed service by creating a center for all adults learning to live after the loss of a loved one. After a death, the Visiting Nurse Grief Support Team contacts the family to begin thirteen months of support (per Medicare). This support is available to both hospice families and the community at-large and includes one-on-one counseling, a variety of specialized support groups (widows, men, or parents who have lost a child) and special programs (Surviving the Holidays) designed specifically for adults who have experienced a loss due to death.
The Visiting Nurse Grief Support Team provides:
-Individual grief counseling
-Grief support groups – includes groups dealing with specific issues (suicide, men who have lost a spouse, women who have lost a spouse, etc.)
-Grief support to community facilities/agencies – providing support to organizations who experience a staff death
-Education for nursing facilities – educating staff on how to compassionately serve those who are grieving and to address their own grief issues
-Workshops for health professionals and other groups serving the community
-Referrals and advocacy for surviving family members in need of assistance
As a means to give back to our community, all grief services are provided at no cost
About Visiting Nurse
Visiting Nurse is a locally-based, non-profit agency that provides palliative and hospice care to patients located in their home, nursing facility settings and in Hospice Home, the agency’s 14-bed inpatient facility. Serving an eight-county area in northeast Indiana, Visiting Nurse recently celebrated 125 years of service in our community. Visiting Nurse is a United Way of Allen County partner agency and is committed to providing care regardless of the ability to pay.