Calvert County leaders in health, business and government joined the Hospice of the Chesapeake team on Nov. 17 to celebrate the grand reopening of the former Burnett Calvert Hospice House, now known as the Burnett Center for Hope & Healing.
The gathering of friends, supporters and community members marked the launch of a new vision for the center with a focus on hope and healing for the community. It will be a place to gather, to learn, to share, to receive support, and to engage in healing practices. The center will host activities for the entire family such as yoga, therapeutic art, music classes, gardening, grief support groups and special programs for children.
Along with the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony supported by the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce and Calvert County Economic Development, guests enjoyed demonstrations of integrative arts services, including reiki, Compassionate Touch and chair massage. They listened and learned firsthand from care professionals about some of the services offered at the center, including end-of-life support doula, spiritual care and bereavement services.
The event capped off a celebratory week by Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Community Health Programs that included a therapeutic art session led by Sarah Miseveth from Hart of Healing, veterans recruitment and training, a celebration of the care team members and Dementia Live training in partnership with the Calvert County Office of Aging.
“The reimagined center will be warm, welcoming, and open to the needs of those who are not only experiencing end of life but also those living with progressive, complex serious illness over a period of years and grieving the loss of loved ones,” said Becky Miller, Chief Operating Officer and Interim CEO.
- End-of-Life Doula Teri Gibbons-Jacobson stands with Integrative Arts Manager Alena Dailey and Volunteer Services Manager Heather Conner outside of a room offering integrative arts demonstrations.
- Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Gift Processing Specialist Lisa Young, Director of Advancement Chris Wilson and President and CEO Mike Brady listen in as Calvert County Councilmember Catherine Grasso shares her family’s many connections to the not-for-profit’s hospice care at the Burnett Center for Hope & Healing ribbon-cutting.
- From left, Calvert County Commissioner Catherine Grasso, Hospice of the Chesapeake Calvert County Advisory Board Member Jan Kleponis, Burnett Center property donor Barbara Burnett, Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation Board Member Peggy McKelly, Calvert County Register of Wills Margaret Phipps, Calvert County Commissioner Todd Ireland, Hospice of the Chesapeake President and CEO Mike Brady and Interim CEO Rebecca Miller, Hospice of the Chesapeake Board Member Rich Wilder, Calvert County Economic Development Director Julia Oberg, Hospice of the Chesapeake Board Member Tim McDonough, Calvert County Chamber of Commerce Board Member Wendy Tonic, and Hospice of the Chesapeake Director of Community Health Programs Faith Fitzgerald.