Carroll Hospital Center - U.S. Senator Visits Carroll Hospice

Westminster, Md. – (November 14, 2008) — Carroll Hospice welcomed U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin during a visit to the Dove House, the hospice’s inpatient facility, on Friday, October 31. The Senator was invited, as a way for Board Members and staff from Carroll Hospice and Carroll Hospital Center, as well as from the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland, to personally thank him for his leadership and to encourage him to continue his advocacy on behalf of all those who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

Sen. Cardin and 34 other members of Congress are co-sponsoring legislation known as the Medicare Hospice Protection Act, to delay planned reductions scheduled for FY’09 in Medicare funding to hospices nation-wide. The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate Finance Committee.

“I am truly honored that Sen. Cardin could visit our Dove House to see how beneficial our services are to families in need,” said Karen Feroli, executive director of Carroll Home Care and Carroll Hospice.

During the visit, Sen. Cardin had an opportunity to view some of the building and to speak personally with a Dove House patient and family. He articulated a keen understanding about Hospice services and funding intricacies.

“I am a strong supporter of hospices because they provide the emotional and medical support that is so important at a much lower cost than hospital-based end-of-life care. Families are well served by the many services that hospices provide in what is always a difficult time,” he said.

After the visit, the Senator and his entire staff expressed their appreciation to the Carroll Hospital Center and Carroll Hospice family for such a warm and wonderful reception.

Carroll Hospice, an affiliate of Carroll Hospital Center, is a non-profit organization that provides end-of-life care to the terminally ill. In 1986, Carroll Hospice cared for 53 patients. Today, they serve more than 50 patients each day.

Photo caption: Pictured from left to right are: Tricia Supik, R.N., M.A., legislative and community affairs officer at Carroll Hospital Center; Reverend David Highfield, vice chair of the Carroll Hospice Board of Trustees; Karen Feroli, executive director of Carroll Home Care and Carroll Hospice; U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin; Christine Crabbs, executive director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland; and Leslie Simmons, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., chief operating officer and senior vice president of patient care services at Carroll Hospital Center.