Gilchrist Hospice Care is set to debut its second inpatient center and its first in Howard County this spring. Located within an assisted living facility in the Howard County Health Park, the $1.7 million, 10-bed unit will house a chapel, common area for families, and garden.
Howard County patients and their families have been asking for an end-of-life care center closer to them than Towson, Gilchrist's main hospice center, Gilchrist's Director of Development Lori Mulligan says. Gilchrist cares for about 100 Howard County patients per day.
The hospice is currently raising $2.5 million to pay for the construction costs and defray the costs of providing care that exceeds insurance payments. So far, it has raised $700,000 from foundations and individuals in the community, Mulligan says.
The Howard County center is modeled after Gilchrist's Towson facility with oriental rugs and wood floors.
"We try to make it look warm and inviting," Mulligan says. "It's been described as a Swiss chalet," Mulligan says of the hospice centers' look.
The new facility will be located within Lorien Harmony Hall Assisted Living.
Gilchrist Hospice Care is a subsidiary of GBMC HealthCare.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Lori Mulligan, Gilchrist