Providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family is the mission of Ohio’s Hospice, and the hospitality team brings this to life in many ways. 

The dedicated team of hospitality professionals from around the state make sure that when family, friends, and fellow team members walk into one of the hospice buildings or patient suites, it’s in great condition. Warm and welcoming. 

In the South Care Region, around a dozen team members are responsible for 13 buildings including the inpatient care centers in Dayton, Franklin and Troy where our life-affirming care takes place. 

“The hospitality team takes care of cleaning the entire building, the office buildings, and all the locations,” said Jerri Hollis, hospitality manager. “That’s not just Dayton locations. That’s all the team centers that are all across the city.” 

Buildings are cleaned daily. Restrooms could be touched anywhere from four to eight times a day, according to Hollis. 

But perhaps the most important are patient suites. They are cleaned while patients are there and after they leave. 

“Those are deep cleans,” Jerri said. “Those rooms can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how long the patient has been there.” 

Rhea Hagler, a hospitality lead, said they never know what to expect when approaching a room to clean. 

“We don’t know what we’re walking into,” she said. “Some of the patients can be here weeks at a time and they can have big families. You don’t really know until you get there.” 

Jerri said 45 minutes is the standard time allotted, but that can vary. 

“We’re moving furniture out, you’re sweeping behind everything, you’re pulling stuff out,” she said. “You’re wiping stuff down from the littlest things to the [bed] rails.” 

As difficult as it can be, performing their daily tasks is often very meaningful for team members. They get to know patients and their families and become a source of comfort. 

“I won’t ever forget this gentleman. And he had dementia/Alzheimer’s and his job, he used to do spreadsheets,” Rhea said. “And so we were going to clean and he was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do my spreadsheets. Where’s my paperwork?’ I went and got paperwork off my cart, just like that, and gave it to him. He thought it was his paperwork. I said, ‘Here, I got it for you.’ And he was so happy. He just sat there and acted like he was doing his spreadsheet. That’s what he did all his life.” 

Zach Woodward, another South Care Region team member, has also been able to cultivate relationships while doing his job. 

“There was this very sweet family, a husband and wife who said they were getting ready to go take their kid out so I could go in and clean their room,” he said. “They came back and their kid was leaving crumbs all over the floor from donuts. And they’re like, ‘I’m so sorry our kid’s wandering off and leaving crumbs.’ I went, ‘Hey, I’m the exact same way. I’ll leave donut crumbs everywhere and I wander.’ And they started laughing. It meant a lot that we could give them a laugh and a good smile while they were going through what they were going through. It’s almost life changing, really. Makes you appreciate it.” 

Sometimes the connection is so strong that Zach feels a sense of loss when a patient dies. 

“Especially if they’ve been there a long time,” he said. “There was this one patient. They had been here a good while and I got to know their daughter. They were sweet as can be. I was off a couple days, came back and when I saw the room empty, it was just like, it hits you a little bit. You don’t think you’d get attached, but then you do.” 

Rhea, who has been with Ohio’s Hospice for around seven years, and Zach, a team member for nearly 18 months, both feel like they work for a world-class organization. 

“Everybody cares,” Zach said. “We chime in with each other. It’s almost like, not to sound cheesy, it almost feels like that secondary home where you have your own work family. So that’s always a pleasant part about being here.”  

Added Rhea, “As a whole, coming from a nursing home and coming here, it’s a good team effort. Everybody knows what their roles are. I think we all pull together great. I like how you can go anywhere and get help. I love the job.” 

If you or someone you know is looking to join a mission that matters, the Hospitality Department is always looking for team members who want to make a difference.