TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Otsaye Oteri of Toms River, New Jersey, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in Cape Town, South Africa. The Compassus interdisciplinary team, which included registered nurses, hospice aides, a social worker, volunteer coordinator, chaplain and other colleagues, spent a week in Cape Town working side by side Living Hope clinicians and administrators.
“My heart has been touched in so many ways,” said Oteri, director of clinical services for Compassus – Toms River. “The Living Hope colleagues greeted us each day with such kindness and excitement. Even with limited resources, they did their best to educate and support people in their communities. It was amazing to witness their unwavering dedication and gratitude.”
Through an international partnership formed 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 dollar for dollar for total donations in 2018 of more than $123,000 to the ministry-based nonprofit.
“I am so grateful to work for Compassus,” continued Oteri. “Sending 12 people to the other side of the world to experience this adventure says a lot about a company. It was an experience I will never forget.”
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.
“Compassion is at the heart of everything we do, and our compassion has an even broader impact when we have the opportunity to serve alongside Living Hope,” said Lori Thompson, executive director for Compassus – Toms River. “We are proud of our team and their work with the people of South Africa, and I hope it inspires others to join the effort to advance the well-being of those facing life-limiting illnesses.”
For more information, visit our Toms River page or call (732) 722-5001.
