The term “hospice,” often carries a negative connotation. Though nothing could be further from the truth, the term is often associated with end-of-life. Or, it lends itself to the assumption that there’s nothing left to do. However, hospice care is actually about seeking and receiving support. Hence, the reason why Winston-Salem’s Hospice & Palliative CareCenter has changed its name.
Linda Darden, the president and CEO, shared, “There is a lot of confusion about hospice because there are multiple hospice organizations in the community. And, not all hospice organizations offer the same scope of services. Our hospice – known as Hospice & Palliative CareCenter – is the largest hospice in Forsyth County and in the top 10 largest hospice care organizations in the state. We offer in-patient care, at-home care, grief counseling and dozens of other services meant to support families and patients during their time of need. Over the years though, we heard time and again of families who wanted to choose our program, but in the overwhelming time of making a decision, [they] picked a different organization.
“Obviously, we would never want to interrupt care once it’s started, but we recognized a need to differentiate ourselves from other hospice organizations,” Linda continued. “Our name change has not been made without tremendous thought and consideration. It’s been a very long process that’s involved hours upon hours of meetings, focus groups and a deliberate rollout process. And, we’re beyond thrilled with the result.”
Hospice & Palliative CareCenter is now known as “Trellis Supportive Care.”
Ann Gauthreaux, the regional director of public relations, shared, “Trellis Supportive Care is a beautiful and brilliant description of what we do best. A trellis is literally defined as a framework of support, and that is exactly what we offer. The name goes hand-in-hand with the type of organization we’ve been for almost 40 years. Our staff and volunteers are excited about this change, and we’re excited about sharing this announcement with the community.”
The name change began with a need to create a memorable identity for those seeking hospice services so that they could ask for it by name in a time of need. “Trellis” exemplifies this identity because it puts the spotlight on the same supportive and comprehensive care services that Hospice & Palliative CareCenter is known for.
“Our hope,” shared Ann, “is that families will quickly realize they can count on Trellis Supportive Care to offer the same high-quality service and support we’ve been recognized for over the years. We want Trellis Supportive Care to be synonymous with hope, love, compassion and comfort during a family’s time of crisis. We want to be there to offer sage wisdom and advice for those who are overwhelmed by the choices they must make and need guidance on how to best care for a loved one.”
Linda added, “While there are those who assume hospice care will speed up impending death, hospice care can actually extend a patient’s life and improve his or her quality of life. Our new name helps to solidify that truth. We are there to offer support to those in hospice care and their families. And, whether our medical services are utilized for a matter of days, months or even years, our team is going to offer supportive care to our patients and their families.”
Trellis Supportive Care is headquartered in Winston-Salem at 101 Hospice Lane. It supports 13 counties in North Carolina from offices in Winston-Salem, Walnut Cove, Mocksville and Salisbury as well as the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home. It offers extensive support in addition to hospice care, including inpatient care, hospital care, assisted living care, grief counseling, veteran counseling, complimentary therapies and much more. Learn more at TrellisSupport.org, or call 336.768.3972 or 888.876.3663. Be sure to like their page on Facebook!
