Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton and hospice employees joined with Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede to open Compassionate Care Hospice.
HAMILTON -- Compassionate Care Hospice officially opened its doors at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton earlier this month.
"Having Compassionate Care Hospice located on the campus of RWJ Hamilton makes end of life care local and very accessible to our patients and our community," RWJ Hamilton President and CEO Richard Freeman said in a statement.
The hospice - which provides home health and palliative care to terminally ill patients and their families - features 14 private rooms, open to visitors 24 hours a day.
Mayor Kelly Yaede attended the ribbon-cutting and used the opportunity to thank the hospital for caring for her grandmother, who died at the hospital in 2014.
"My entire family can look back and know that she passed away having received the care, respect and kindness she needed," Yaede said. "And I think it's so important, especially for those patients who don't have a support system, that organizations like RWJ Hamilton and Compassionate Care can provide that level of care and support."
Compassionate Care announced in November it would relocate its in-patient hospice unit from St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton to RWJ Hamilton to "serve a broader spectrum of the population."
Compassionate Care had been operated from St. Francis for 16 years.
"We've been sincerely overwhelmed with the kindness and support we've received from the staff here at RWJ Hamilton," hospice program director Anthony Bolden said.
"A mission is just words on a piece of paper unless you have people who are able to enact that mission, and based on the welcome we have received we know that this mission to bring hospice care to patients and their families is alive on both sides," Bolden said.
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
