FRIENDS OF CAROLINE HOSPICE
Announce Campaign to Build Caroline’s Cottage
story by KAREN SNYDER photo by PAUL NURNBERG renderings by LS3P Associates
From the outside, the structure exudes Lowcountry charm with its high-pitched metal roof, wide-open wraparound porches, and landscaped gardens. Inside, its comfy interior welcomes families and invites them to stay awhile in the family room, share a meal in the dining room, enjoy some quiet time in the library or reflection room, or spend personal time with a loved one in their private suite.
This is the vision — now set to become a reality — of Friends of Caroline Hospice (FOCH) as it launches its campaign to build Caroline’s Cottage. According to Virginia Henneberry, FOCH’s donor development director, “Building Caroline’s Cottage is a much-needed next step in our journey to bring inpatient hospice care to our community.”
The 19,000 square-foot, 8-bed facility will be built upon 10 acres of richly wooded, high buildable property already owned by FOCH and neighboring John Paul II Catholic High School on Okatie Highway in Jasper County.
“Our goal is to open the doors of Caroline’s Cottage by mid-2021 through generous donations to our $5 million capital campaign,” explains Virginia, adding that FOCH has already “quietly” raised almost 50 percent of that goal. “Although we’re excited to have reached this milestone, we must reach 100% of our goal, through donations and pledges, to make Caroline’s Cottage happen,” she urges.
“After two years of due diligence and demographic studies within a 60-mile radius of our area, examining our population’s needs both past and future through the year 2023, we received our official ‘certificate of need’ from South Carolina last March which permits us to move forward with this milestone project,” says Virginia.
For those unfamiliar with Friends of Caroline Hospice, the nonprofit was established in 1977 as the area’s only hospice care at that time for the terminally ill. For more than 42 years, the organization has carried out the legacy of Caroline Sue Quann, who, at the young age of 28, received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Wanting to spend her remaining time at home and not in a hospital, Caroline reached out to her church family to help care for her. Under the guidance of her friend and nurse, Veronica Tovey, volunteers rallied to her side to provide a quality of life for Caroline until she passed at home at age 31.
Since that time, FOCH has achieved its mission to care for those who need palliative or hospice care at no cost to the patient or family. For most of its history, the nonprofit operated solely on donations and local grants; however, in 2013, FOCH became CMS certified, allowing the organization to bill Medicare, Medicaid, as well as private insurers for services.
“No patient ever receives a bill for our care, regardless of their ability to pay,” explains Virginia. “They never receive a bill!”
“Our organization has cared for multiple generations in our community. It is amazing how many lives have been touched by Friends of Caroline,” says FOCH’s Executive Director Lindsay Roberg. “Caroline’s Cottage will fill a much-needed service in our area. This resource will give our community the peace of mind that there is a place to go for quality care even if home isn’t an option.”
Friends of Caroline Hospice serves four county areas, including Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper. And, once established, Caroline’s Cottage will provide four levels of care to its patients to meet their needs. This includes residential, transitional, acute, and respite care.
“Not every palliative patient needs hospice care, but every hospice patient needs palliative care,” explains Virginia. Palliative care refers to those who have a chronic condition that requires holistic care. This care focuses on relieving symptoms and stress caused by the illness to improve quality of life. Hospice care is typically provided during the last six months of life after all potentially curative options have been exhausted. At Caroline’s Cottage, acute care will also be provided for those whose condition may need to be stabilized before they can return home.
According to Virginia, “There’s a real void when it comes to respite services in our area. Sometimes families need to find care for the patient for just a few days—whether it’s to attend a school graduation, a wedding, or just to de-stress from the daily requirements of caring for someone who is ill. Caroline’s Cottage will provide services on behalf of the family for 3-5 days, including transportation of the patient from their home and back.
“Every part of our vision for Caroline’s Cottage is 100 percent aimed at patient care and comfort,” she explains.
Designed by Charleston’s LS3P Associates with construction by M.B. Kahn Construction Company, each private patient room is designed to look like home. “All the medical equipment will be tucked away so the room doesn’t have a hospital feel. It will feel like home,” she assures. “We even designed the doors to the screened porch of each patient’s room to be wide enough to wheel the bed through so they can get fresh air and enjoy nature along with their visitors.”
Among the Cottage’s other amenities are a hydrotherapy room for patient care, a library, a quiet reflection room, nature paths safe for wheelchairs and walkers, as well as a children’s play area. “There will be no established visiting hours like a hospital or medical facility. Family and friends, including children and pets, are welcomed 24 hours a day.”
One important person behind the dream to bring Caroline’s Cottage to reality is Capital Campaign Chair, Suzanne Gray Wilkie. Suzanne’s mother, Joyce Gray, matriarch of Beaufort’s Grayco Hardware & Home and Grayco Building Supply, and local philanthropist, depended upon care from FOCH before her passing in September 2018.
“I’m passionate about this project because I know firsthand the impact Friends of Caroline Hospice can make on their patients’ lives,” she says. “My mother was fortunate to have her husband and children close but wondered aloud about those who are not as fortunate. She wanted, no, demanded to die with dignity, and we believe with the help of Friends of Caroline, she did.”
“I also know how much my mother would have liked an alternative to being at home. She would have preferred to have gone to an inpatient hospice facility, as opposed to having us bear the burden of her care,” Suzanne explains.
“Many people ask us, ‘Well, how much will it cost me?’ and find it unbelievable when we tell them they’ll never receive a bill,” adds Virginia. She explains that FOCH receives the same per diem rate from insurers for their patients. “Some of our patients require more care, some less. So that’s where our annual fundraisers such as Bands, Brews, & BBQ, Festival of Trees, and our Thrift Store really help support our operations.”
Beyond patient care, FOCH offers many programs and services to the community at large such as bereavement and grief support to families and to local school districts for children and teens dealing with any type of loss from a grandparent, parent, or even a pet. “Our student bereavement volunteers go through an intensive six-week training with our Chaplain, Steve Scudder. We also have a response team that is available to assist in schools when needed.”
What’s more, Virginia explains that FOCH “follows” the families of each of its patients for a full 13 months following the death of their loved ones to provide support services as they grieve their family member.
Another critical outreach by FOCH is its annual Camp Caroline held each summer for bereaving children from rising first through 12th graders. “Students come back year after year, because they know they can share their grief with other children who are going through the same thing as they are.”
Under the direction of Medical Directors, Dr. Gordon Krueger and Dr. Steve Kessel, Friends of Caroline Hospice and Caroline’s Cottage will continue to fulfill its mission of helping patients to “make their time count instead of counting their time.”
“Our families often tell us they wish they had found us sooner. Usually, people don’t think of hospice until it’s at your doorstep. But, once you’ve been touched by it, you understand the truly important role it plays in supporting your loved one’s end-of-life journey,” assures Virginia. “Our goal remains to educate, support, and care for our Lowcountry community. And, we hope they’ll join us on our journey to build Caroline’s Cottage.”
To donate to Friends of Caroline Hospice or to support the efforts to build Caroline’s Cottage, call (843) 525-6257 or visit www.fochospice.org.
