When physicians suggest hospice care to patients and their families, it can be shocking and scary at the same time. At Chapters Health System, hospice care is viewed as an opportunity to take each of our patients by the hand and lead them gently through the end-of-life process. It’s our mission to offer programs and services that meet the needs of our patients and families. But we don’t stop there. It is our overarching objective to exceed expectations and serve the community beyond our mission.

Beyond Our Mission

Every day at Chapters Health and our affiliates — Chapters Health Hospice, Good Shepherd Hospice, Hospice of Okeechobee, HPH Hospice  and LifePath Hospice, we care for patients and their families when they are most vulnerable. Our goal is to take a time when most feel sad, overwhelmed and often frightened, and instead use patience, empathy and compassion to make it therapeutic and cathartic. By providing outstanding hospice services, along with palliative medicine and home care, we are able to go beyond our mission and make a difference to our service area’s economic well-being.

“Simply by helping people with life-limiting illnesses figure out how to live as long as they can productively manage—and in a more fulfilling way—we contribute to the overall strength of both families and the community,” said Jack Kolosky, Chief Operating Office at Moffitt Cancer Center and past chair of the Chapters Health Board.

Chapters Health programs and services contribute in a positive way to the quality of life in Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. This helps attract new employers to set up shop, and new residents to live and work in these eight counties. In turn, Chapters Health has become a recognized contributor and participant in each community’s overall economic life.

Serving the community in order to go beyond our mission takes different forms. Whether talking about medications for our pharmacies, food and furnishings for office and facilities, or building and maintaining our hospice houses, Chapters Health reinvests in our communities.

“Our focus is really local to the communities we serve,” said Philip D. Wegman, Vice President at Furr & Wegman Architects in Lakeland. “And we do it continually over time, and not just once.”

Benefiting Families, Benefiting the Economy

The mission of Chapters Health is to provide the right care by the right people at the right time. But beyond this vital care, we have a demonstrable impact on the economic health of the communities we’re privileged to serve.

Every one of the goods and services that Chapters Health purchases—drugs and medical supplies, office space and equipment, even the gasoline that allows our caregivers make regular visits to patients—ripples throughout the local economy, resulting in the creation of jobs and revenue for hundreds of other businesses.

Using accepted economic models, the ripple effect of the economic activity generated by Chapters Health creates between 2,250 to 3,100 additional jobs in the local market and produces more than $340 million in additional economic activity.

For those whom Chapters Health serves who are already living here, our supportive bereavement services help keep grieving children in school and parents on the job as they cope with loss. We know that the grief and bereavement care we provide to children and adults who have suffered the loss of loved ones results in lower absenteeism rates at school and work, higher productivity and a healthier emotional well-being.

“The affiliates of Chapters Health are vital, homegrown, not-for-profit entities that spend the vast majority of their money in purchasing goods and services locally,” concluded Phillip Walker, a Lakeland-based Allstate Insurance agent and member of the Good Shepherd Hospice Board of Directors. “We have woven ourselves into the very fabric of our community over the years—which is why whenever I mention the name of Good Shepherd Hospice to people, I always hear positive feedback.”

Community Partners

Chapters Health works closely with several community organizations and businesses.

• American Legion works with wartime veterans, mentors youth, advocates patriotism and honors all service members and veterans.
• Banfield Foundation is the charity created by Banfield Pet Hospital to enhance the wellness of pets in various communities across the country.
• Elder Options ensures that older Americans have access to information, resources and assistance.
• Dream Foundation is the adult version of the Make-a-Wish Foundation and thus makes end-of-life wishes come true for this population.
• Feeding Pasco provides nourishment to Pasco County’s seniors.
• Kiwanis is dedicated to improving the world, one child and community at a time.
• One Community Now Stand Down is a community-based intervention program for homeless veterans.
• Trader Joe’s donates flowers daily to Chapters Health for hospice patients and their families.
• United Way improves lives by tapping into the caring power of our communities.

Chapters Health System is committed to serving the needs of its patients, families, caregivers, health providers, partners and communities.

Discover more details and information about community partners.

For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health and HospiceHelp24® team at 1.866.204.8611 or Contact Us.