A new hospice home in Roanoke is expected to open soon

Roanoke, Virginia – For over thirty years, the Roanoke Valley has been served by Good Samaritan Hospice. The charity is embarking on a new chapter with the dedication of the new Sheila S. Strauss Hospice House in June.

“As the sole community-based nonprofit hospice in this valley, we think we’re also creating history,” stated Aaron Housh, CEO of Good Samaritan. You are aware that the valley does not have another free-standing hospice facility. Patients and their families require it.

The new hospice house will offer care in a “home-like” environment for those who require a higher degree of care as they approach the end of their life, according to Housh, who stated that the goal is always to keep patients with severe disease at home wherever feasible.

Housh stated, “We’ll be providing high-level care here, but hopefully in an environment that’s as home-like as possible and creates sort of that peaceful support at the end of life for a patient and their family. Many of the patients here, if they went to the hospital, would likely be in the ICU.”

Scotti Hartman, vice president for business development, gave us a tour of the community areas, which included a meditation chapel, kitchen, and office.

Now, our family room is located over here. Simply put, it’s designed with all the conveniences of home. People can congregate and spend time together by the TV or by the fireplace, according to Hartman.

She took us to one of the sixteen patient private rooms.

“We have a hospital bed for them, of course. She said, “And then over to my left is a daybed for seating during the day, but it’s also a twin-size bed if someone wants to stay the night with their loved one.”

When Kim Shelor and her family were in need, they went to Good Samaritan, and now she gives back by volunteering.

Shelor said, “Good Samaritan took care of my mother-in-law, and then they took care of my mom and dad.”

She stated that the new hospice residence will have a significant impact on the families in our community.

There has been a long-standing need for this kind of service in the Roanoke Valley, so Shelor felt it had a big impact to learn that getting the treatment you need won’t need you to travel three or four hours away from home or to Beckley, West Virginia. “And the community’s support has been amazing, in my opinion.”

According to Aaron Housh, he wishes more people would become aware of Good Samaritan and utilize the hospice and palliative care services it provides.

At the end of life, “we think there’s a lot of hope left for people, but sometimes that’s just redefining what that hope is,” he remarked. In order to ensure that individuals can live as fully as possible in the time they have left—whether it be two days, two minutes, two months, or two years—we truly assist them in redefining and moving through that path in all of our programs.

With a $5 million goal, Good Samaritan started its inaugural fundraising drive. The nonprofit has received roughly $3.4 million in donations thus far.

To guarantee that Good Samaritan Hospice can run at maximum capacity and is well-positioned for the future, supporters keep up their fundraising efforts.

The building is finished. Other permits and the occupancy certificate are also in order. The hospice house is being staffed by Good Sam with the intention of taking in its first patient within the next sixty days.