March is Women’s History Month and on March 8 women around the world are celebrated for their social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.  

Women have played a vital role in the creation of hospice services. We want to recognize and thank the remarkable women who have taken the lead in providing care at end of life, today and every day. 

Dame Cicely Saunders is recognized as the founder of modern hospice care by establishing Saint Christopher’s in England. 

Here in Ohio, several women stand out for their part in the development of hospice care: Betty Schmoll, Selma Markowitz, Kathleen Brown, and Dr. Leslie Harrold. 

Others have had meaningful roles at all of our locations throughout the state as volunteers and leaders supporting our mission of providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family.  

Betty Schmoll 

A nurse and Dayton resident, Betty led the charge to establish hospice care in the area shortly after caring for her terminally ill mother. Her unwavering dedication to improving end-of-life care in Dayton played an important role in the founding of Hospice of Dayton in 1978. In 2011, Hospice of Dayton joined with Hospice of Miami County to form Ohio’s Hospice. 

Betty, who graduated from nursing school at Wright State University in Fairborn, collaborated with every hospital in the region to develop hospice services and became the first president and CEO of Hospice of Dayton. Her leadership extended into the national hospice movement, where she served with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association to advance hospice care.   

Selma Markowitz and Kathleen Brown 

Selma and Kathleen – two total strangers – were brought together by Licking Memorial Hospital leaders and the result of that collaboration was hospice care in central Ohio. 

Selma became an advocate for hospice while reading about it in a magazine during a flight. Kathleen – who had no medical training – was caring for her husband and mother when they were facing end of life and was convinced there had to be a better way to provide end-of-life care. 

After each independently talked to the hospital, they were introduced and given some space to hold planning meetings. In January 1982, the pair met with a group of community leaders and volunteers and by September 1982, Hospice Service of Licking County, Ohio, Inc., was formed. The name changed to Hospice of Central Ohio in 1994 to better reflect our expanded services to communities in eight surrounding counties, and later to Ohio’s Hospice. 

The Selma Fund, named in honor of Markowitz, is the quality-of-life care fund which addresses the immediate needs of our patients and families. 

The Kathleen M. Brown Leadership Award is given annually to an active volunteer who has consistently demonstrated strong leadership abilities, whose service involves multiple levels of involvement, and who has made a positive impact in the fulfillment of the organization’s mission. 

Dr. Leslie Harrold 

Leslie was part of the group that founded Hospice of Tuscarawas County, established in 1986. She served the organization as volunteer medical director from 1987-2016. Her contribution to the Tuscarawas Community Foundation helped ensure the long-term support for the organization. It was emblematic of her spirit of humility, generosity and service to others. 

In 2023, the Truman House campus in New Philadelphia was formally named the Dr. Leslie Harrold Community Campus in her honor. It continues to serve not only Tuscarawas County, but seven others in it’s region as part of Ohio’s Hospice, a testament to the impact she made on hospice care.