JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Connie Taylor of Jefferson City, 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 corporate colleague, spent a week in Cape Town working side-by-side with Living Hope clinicians.
“The Living Hope mission trip altered my perspective and reminded me to be grateful every day,” said Taylor, a registered nurse case manager. “My life has been forever changed by this experience.”
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.
“The Living Hope team works tirelessly to educate, support and care for the communities they serve,” continued Taylor. “I am fortunate to have been able to witness the impact they have on the residents of Cape Town and the surrounding areas.”
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 Mandy Lawrence, executive director for Compassus – Jefferson City. “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 about Compassus, visit our Jefferson City page or call (573) 556-3547.
