I’ve had the privilege of serving in hospice care for 30 years, which has afforded me the opportunity to work alongside hundreds of social workers, who are simply amazing at the work and services they provide to the patients we have the privilege of serving each day. One of my favorite memories about the impact social workers have on the patients we serve: I was attending a conference in San Diego in 2013 and was speaking at the conference. I was assigned to a person that would help me get my microphone on, show me to the stage and answer any questions I had. When I met the person who would be assisting me, she gave me a big hug, and her voice began to tremble as she shared with me that her sister, who lived in Dayton, had recently lost her husband, and was served by Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton in his final days. Her sister had three young children that were struggling with the loss of their father. She shared that our social worker had continued to check in with her sister and her nephews and niece each week to make sure they had the support they needed to work through their grief. She shared how incredibly kind our social worker was and how much her attention and support helped the family. There I was, thousands of miles away from Dayton, hearing this story of how impactful one of our social worker teammates was continuing to be in their lives. Supportive, caring, kind, compassionate and knowledgeable were all words she used to describe our social worker.

Each day it is an honor and privilege to serve with all our social worker teammates and this month we celebrate the impact they have on our mission, our patients, and families and on our teammates. Thank you for your service, you help make our world a better place to live and be.

Kindly,

Kent Anderson

In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
-Thurgood Marshall