At Ohio’s Hospice, our nurses provide care that matters, and we value them as integral parts of our care teams, providing expertise in hospice and palliative care in the communities we serve.  

May is National Nurses Month. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually between May 6-12 and reminds us of the invaluable contributions nurses provide. 

“Compassion is the heartbeat of nursing,” said Chief Nursing Officer Renee Sparks. “It’s what guides nurses as they stand beside patients and families during life’s most fragile moments. Through every reassuring word, gentle touch, and act of kindness, nurses offer more than care — they offer comfort, peace and dignity. Their impact is felt not only in physical healing, but in strengthening the spirit and reminding each person they are never alone.” 

It was that impactful care that brought Ashley McGeorge to Ohio’s Hospice South Care Region as a nurse. A year ago, we began caring for her dad. At the time, Ashley was a NICU nurse and was the lone caregiver for her father after her mother died three years prior. 

“Ohio’s Hospice spent 31 days supporting him and supporting me as his sole caregiver until he passed away,” Ashley, an RN care manager said. “And it was an incredible experience that they provided for us. Unbelievable support, and I wanted to do that for others. I wanted other families to have the gift that we had.” 

Virginia Gilbert, a nurse in our South Care Region inpatient center in Franklin, went back to school to become a registered nurse just so she could be a part of Ohio’s Hospice after working at other hospice organizations. 

“Staff here is very different from anywhere I’ve ever worked,” she said. “Hospice is just my passion. I’ve worked in nursing homes. I’ve worked in schools. The caregivers here, nurses, aides, everybody is just top notch. They care.” 

The unwavering dedication, care and support we provide patients and team members is why Ora Weaver came back to Ohio’s Hospice after spending two months at a non-affiliated hospital. 

“I feel like, even though we’re out here on our own, we have an amazing team behind us,” Ora, an RN Care Manager, said. “I can reach out to anybody and get assistance, help, answers to questions. I like our charting a lot better, but it was mainly that I felt like I have support. I know all hospices offer about the same thing, but I think for us, we really follow through on what we say we want to do.”   

These are just a few brief examples that highlight the incredible value that nurses bring wherever they serve. 

Ohio’s Hospice receives myriad “thank you” notes from loved ones of our patients we have had the privilege of serving. Most call out our team of nurses, who embody our mission of Celebrating Life’s Stories^®. 

These are some of the comments we received: 

“Hospice care was a blessing for my mother and our family. The admission nurse was wonderful and worked hard to get my mom the care she needed. Everyone was amazing and caring!” 

“I am very happy my mom chose hospice for her end-of-life care. Our nurse was so caring and very thorough in her care of my mom, but also our whole family. She explained every detail and answered every question. The nurse and our aides were super kind and gentle. They interacted with my mom as they cared for her.” 

“I was very pleased with the care my husband received. The nursing staff were very efficient. If I had a question, they answered right away. They were also helpful to me and my personal needs. Although I knew my husband was going to pass away, the staff helped me emotionally.” 

“The nurses that attended to him the week before he passed were amazing. The level of care, focus, and expertise were second to none. They were aware of his needs and the family’s needs, and listened to them and responded accordingly.” 

“Our son had the best hospice nurse. She was a great fit for our son. She always listened and allowed him to direct his care and decisions. We are thankful for her caring compassion. We are very fortunate to have had Hospice of Fayette County.” 

These comments demonstrate our nurses’ dedication to servant leadership, kindness, honestly and compassion, the core values of our organization, in supporting both patients and team members. 

“It makes me feel proud, because we’re doing a good job, and we’re getting recognized for it because a lot of people don’t understand that you’ve got to be kind of built for hospice,” Ora said. “Not everybody is hospice made because to take care of somebody that’s passing, that’s on a different level. So it makes me feel very proud of our company and our staff.” 

Added Ashley, “I am so grateful to work for this organization right now in this season of my life because it is such a grief-oriented position. I’m an unmarried only child who has lost my entire family. And the first anniversary of my dad’s passing is May 20th. And I felt so supported and understood and heard.”  

We are grateful and thankful for our nurses and all they do to deliver superior care and superior services to our patients and families!