Archived News
2007 Tree of Lights
The annual Montgomery Hospice Tree of Lights was held on December 10 at
Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Regional Park. After the tree was lit with the memorial
lights, families and friends walked through the Festival of the Lights and then went inside
for hot cider and cookies.
More information
Pictures from Tree of Lights
Successful JCAHO Recertification
Surveyors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations visited Montgomery Hospice and Casey House from November 19 - 21, 2007. The surveyors were pleased with the work being done at Montgomery Hospice, and with very minor recommendations, recertified us for another 3 years.
Elaine Tiller wins award
Elaine Tiller, head of the Bereavement Care team at Montgomery Hospice, was awarded the "You Make a Difference" award on November 7, 2007. The award, given by the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland, is designed to "honor those special individuals that have contributed to the success of hospice & palliative care programs throughout the state." At the award dinner, Elaine's career was described, which started with her work at the Hospice of Northern Virginia in 1981 and continues today with the comprehensive bereavement program that she oversees at Montgomery Hospice. Her team provides direct services to Montgomery County community members, and Elaine also provides education to professionals in the community. According to her co-workers who nominated her for this award, Elaine "is a caring and committed professional truly deserving of the 'You Make a Difference' Award, and we at Montgomery Hospice are privileged to know her."
Montgomery Hospice Conference Held
On November 5, 2007, over 135 professionals and family members attended Montgomery Hospice's
conference "What Can I Say or Do?": Tools to Help Grieving Children. Attendees had the opportunity
to participate in this bereavement education event and learn how to help children who are grieving.
More information about the Conference
Thank you to our Benefactors
Bereavement Care Program Working with Department of Correction and Rehabilitation
In 2007, Montgomery Hospice counselors and chaplains worked with the Montgomery County's
Pre-Release and Reentry Program to provide information and workshops on loss.
More information
"Hits For Hospice" Award winner
In November 2007, Ann Mitchell, President & CEO of Montgomery Hospice, was notified by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) that Hans Falkenhan had been chosen as the university winner of the 2007 Outstanding Youth Fundraiser Award. He was honored for his "Hits for Hospice" fundraising campaign implemented while he was a student at Towson University. The campaign was a personal tribute from Hans for his father, Frank Falkenhan, who died in Montgomery Hospice's care in 2000. According to the AFP, "Hans has shown an amazing level of commitment to honoring his father by raising funds for Montgomery Hospice." Thank you to Hans and AFP for their support of Montgomery Hospice.
Fun and Sun at the Duck Race
Over 600 community members enjoyed a sunny September day in 2007 while attending the
annual Duck Race and Festival. This year, 8,000 ducks were "adopted" and nearly $50,000
was raised to support Hospice at Home, Casey House and Bereavement Care.
Thanks to all for coming out and supporting Montgomery Hospice!
Pictures from the Duck Race.
Community Partnership Award
In May 2007, Adventist HealthCare of Rockville awarded Community Partnership Awards to six organizations that provide service to the community. Montgomery Hospice is proud to have received the Community Partnership Award and looks forward to more work with Adventist HealthCare.
Montgomery Hospice Gala: A Celebration of Life!
See pictures of the fun from March 9,when almost 200 hospice friends dined and danced the night away at Montgomery Hospice's 19th Celebration of Life! Gala.
Proceeds from the Gala help Montgomery Hospice continue caring for all county residents regardless of their ability to pay.
A highlight of the evening was the announcement that guests Annie and Sammy Totah donated 2.3 acres of land beside Casey House. The Totahs' kind donation gives Montgomery Hospice important flexibility in how we serve the public.
Montgomery Hospice Board Secretary Stephen Joseph and his wife, Dr. Colleen Joseph, co-chaired the Gala, which was held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
Auction artwork by Jennifer Carter
Video: Pain Management at Montgomery Hospice
Montgomery Hospice staff and volunteers were the focus of the Hospice Foundation of America's signature educational event in 2006, a teleconference titled Pain Management at the End of Life.
The broadcast to 100,000 caregivers and patient advocates was filmed mainly at Casey House.
200 Attend Tree of Lights
Over 200 area residents attended the annual Tree of Lights ceremony and reception at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton on December 5.
Local families memorialized loved ones by buying lights on the tree.
Kyle Rudgers, Kari Rudgers and Maria Lenahan threw the switch to illuminate the 40-foot American holly. The Rudgers' daugther, Cathleen, and Ms. Lenahan's father, Francis, were Montgomery Hospice patients.
See pictures of the ceremony and reception.
Washington Post Guest Column: What We've Learned
A November 2006 guest column in the Washington Post Montgomery Extra by Montgomery Hospice CEO Ann Mitchell reported lessons from the hospice's 25 years of service.
Even longtime residents may be surprised to know what we've learned about quality of life in Montgomery County.
Read the informative article.
25th Anniversary Gala: The Party of Our Quarter Century!
Over 300 hospice friends celebrated a quarter century of caring at Montgomery Hospice's 25th Anniversary Gala on March 24 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
Generous sponsors helped make the 25th Anniversary Gala the hospice's largest party ever. Click here for pictures of the fun!
Gazette: Montgomery Hospice's Silver Anniversary
The Gazette's March 2006 feature story on Montgomery Hospice's 25th anniversary showed that an anniversary is not only about celebrating the past. It's also about planning for the future.
Read the article.
Japanese Execs Tour Casey House
Casey House isn't just a model for healthcare facilities in our area. In December, a group of Japanese healthcare executives came to Casey House to learn about high-quality care.
Our special thanks to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, which recommended Casey House as a center of excellence to the tour's organizers.
See pictures of the visit.
Hurricane Relief
Montgomery Hospice helped survivors of Hurricane Katrina by donating 10% of proceeds from the September 2005 Hospice Cup regatta to hospices in the Gulf Coast region.
Bereavement counselors from Montgomery Hospice worked with the Montgomery County Crisis Center to help the 50 Katrina survivors who have moved to our area.
Montgomery Hospice staff and volunteers also helped with a food drive for local Katrina survivors organized by the Manna Food Center.
Hospice Volunteers Honored at Strathmore Hall
Almost 70 Montgomery Hospice volunteers were honored April 28, 2005 at the annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration.
This year's party was held at Strathmore Hall. After a festive lunch in the old Strathmore mansion, volunteers were treated to a tour of new Strathmore Hall performing arts center.
See pictures from the party.
Study of African Americans' Hospice Care
In early 2004, Montgomery Hospice chaplain and pscychologist Robert Washington completed a year-long, grant-funded study of how African Americans make decisions about end-of-life care.
The findings show strong support for hospice care among African Americans and indicate fertile areas for future research that would benefit African Americans’ health.
Click here to learn more about the study and its goal of helping hospices everywhere better reach this underserved population.
Montgomery Hospice in the Hispanic Community
The March 19, 2004 issue of The Washington Hispanic, a Spanish-language newspaper, profiled Montgomery Hospice and its outreach to the growing Latino population.
Read the article.
Gazette:
The January 7, 2004 edition of The Gazette highlighted Casey House's service to the community and the fact that Casey House recently celebrated two important milestones: Its fourth anniversary and its care for over 1,500 patients.
Casey House Hosts Foreign Dignitaries
Physicians and government health officials from China and several Middle Eastern countries visited Casey House in Fall 2003 to learn about American hospice care.
View photos of the visits, which were initiated by the U.S. government and an educational tour company.
Community Counseling During Public Crises
The sniper shootings of October 2002 shook many in our community.
Click here for advice to families from Bereavement Coordinator Elaine Tiller on coping with the stressful news of any public crisis.
The publication of this essay led to Elaine's October 2002 appearance on Channel 9 Morning News to discuss caring for children during frightening times.
Conference: "We've Come This Far By Faith...African-American Women, Cancer and End-of-Life Care"
On June 28, 2003, caregivers, pastors and parishioners from a range of backgrounds met at the Peoples Community Baptist Church in Silver Spring for a unique educational conference organized by Montgomery Hospice.
Taking the name of the traditional hymn "We've Come This Far By Faith," the conference analyzed the interaction of spirituality, illness and hospice care in black families.
Highlights included panel discussions featuring cancer survivors and caregivers, as well as stirring presentations by Patricia Horton, Director of Montgomery County Community Health Services, and Rev. Christine Wiley of Covenant Baptist Church.
View a copy of the program.
View photos from the conference.
Brownies Bearing Gifts Light Up Casey House
The peaceful airiness of Casey House took on a youthful tone May 15, 2003, as girls from Brownie Troop 1402 visited to deliver teddy bears that the troop had made.
The visit was a great treat for patients. The adult daughter of a patient who received a bear said afterwards, "I haven't seen my mother smile like that in months."
The Brownies got a lot out of their visit, too. One of them explained at a Girl Scout ceremony a few weeks later, "When we gave the bears to the patients at Casey House, I felt very proud that I did something very nice for the community and I felt very happy for the people who I gave my bear to because I knew they wouldn't feel alone."
View photos from the Brownies' visit.
Montgomery Hospice 5% Day at Fresh Fields
On July 2, 2002, the Rockville Fresh Fields/Whole Foods Market hosted Montgomery Hospice 5% Day, a partnership whereby Montgomery Hospice received 5% of the store's sales for the day.
Many thanks to Fresh Fields and to the many friends who staffed and visited the Montgomery Hospice information table in the store!
View pictures from 5% Day.
Conference on African-American Spirituality and Death
On June 1, 2002, 110 caregivers, pastors and parishioners from local congregations met at the People's Community Baptist Church in Silver Spring for a special conference "Illness and Death: An African-American Spiritual Perspective." Montgomery Hospice organized the conference.
Highlights included discussions of end-of-life and cancer-related issues affecting African-Americans, plus addresses by Maryland State Secretary of Health Dr. Georges Benjamin and Howard University Divinity Professor Cain Hope Felder.
View a copy of the program.
View photos from the conference.
How San Jose Knows Montgomery Hospice
In the Spring of 2002, Montgomery Hospice was privileged to serve the family of San Jose Mercury News writer Tia O'Brien.
Her Mothers Day 2002 essay about that experience contains one of the best explanations of the hospice mission we've ever seen.
Click here for Tia O'Brien's San Jose Mercury News column on Montgomery Hospice.
Successful JCAHO Recertification Survey
A surveyor from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations visited Montgomery Hospice and Casey House from November 5 - 7, 2001. Read the great news from that visit!
The Art and Science of Palliative Care
Montgomery Hospice's September 26, 2001 conference on The Art and Science of Palliative Care drew 116 professionals to hear experts speak on topics such as nutrition and hydration, symptom management, health care decisions, and maintaining patients' dignity.
Response to the program was strong, so look for more such programs in 2002 from Montgomery Hospice's spin-off venture, Palliative Medicine Consultants.
Montgomery Hospice Since September 11
To meet our mission of aiding the bereaved in Montgomery County, we have expanded our regularly scheduled bereavement programs to include those mourning national events.
Listen to chaplain Robert Washington's interview on National Public Radio about grief and September 11.
20th Anniversary Celebration
Over 450 county residents and friends of Montgomery Hospice gathered at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg on September 1, 2001 to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Terrific weather, delicious barbecue, and lots of activities for kids were the order of the day. View some pictures from the party!