FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Hospice Aide Adriana D’Alessio of Fort Washington, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in Cape Town, South Africa. The Compassus interdisciplinary team, which included physicians, registered nurses, a hospice aide, social worker, bereavement coordinator, chaplain and a corporate colleague, spent a week in Cape Town working side-by-side with Living Hope clinicians.
“I feel blessed and humbled to have been chosen for this opportunity,” said D’Alessio. “I have become a more knowledgeable health care provider thanks to the Living Hope trip.”
Through a partnership started in 2011, Compassus donates monetary aid, medical supplies and health care expertise to support Living Hope’s health care and hospice services in the impoverished township communities of Cape Town. Compassus matches voluntary employee donations to the dollar, and last year raised more than $73,000 for the ministry-based nonprofit.
“Living Hope continuously evaluates their impact on the community to improve their program to benefit more patients,” continued D’Alessio. “They truly understand teaching others to provide quality care is just as important as providing care to those in need. As the saying goes, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’”
Living Hope offers health care services, counseling and education to more than 200,000 underprivileged residents in Cape Town. Its programs focus on improving general health and hospice care, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and economic empowerment. Living Hope provides health care for more than 36,000 South Africans annually through in-home visits, medical clinics and a 22-bed inpatient hospice center.
“Compassus has a calling to deliver compassionate care not only in our local communities but around the world. Serving alongside Living Hope allows us the opportunity to live out this higher purpose,” said Amanda Scheponik, executive director for Compassus – Fort Washington. “We are proud of our team and the work they do for the people of South Africa and hope it inspires others to join the effort to advance the well-being of those facing life-limiting illnesses.”
For more information visit the Compassus Fort Washington page or call (215) 557-7300.
