VALLEY HOSPICE BREAKS GROUND FOR $4.9 MILLION FREESTANDING HOSPICE HOUSE IN WHEELING

(L to R: Bill Hogan, Campaign Co-chair; Karen Nichols, CEO; Sr. Margurite O'Brien, Mount St. Joseph; Banford Exley, Campaign Co-chair; and David Dalzell, Valley Hospice Board President)

(WHEELING) - Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Thursday, April 26, for Valley Hospice’s new $4.9 million freestanding hospice house on GC & P Road, adjacent to Mount St. Joseph in Wheeling.

The 12-bed, 25,000 square foot structure will sit on land donated to Valley Hospice by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Participating in the groundbreaking were Karen Nichols, Valley Hospice CEO; David Dalzell, chairman of the VH board of directors; Sr. Marguerite O’Brien of Mount St. Joseph; Bill Hogan and Banford Exley of Wheeling, chairpersons of  “A Bridge to the Future Campaign: The Campaign for Valley Hospice.”

Construction of the hospice house will fill a need for end of life in-patient care for residents of Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia and Belmont County in Ohio, according to Nichols. Currently, Valley Hospice operates an in-patient unit at Trinity East Medical Center for residents of Hancock and Brooke counties in WV and for those in Jefferson County, OH. VH also provides hospice care in patients’ homes and in area long-term care facilities in West Virginia and Ohio.

“The beautiful pastoral landscape adjacent to Mount St. Joseph is the perfect setting for our new hospice house. Our goal is to allow patients and their families to spend time together in their own warm and comfortable private suites in an atmosphere that is as close to home as possible,” Nichols said, adding, “Through the generosity of the Sisters of St. Joseph and community donors, this state of the art hospice house will become a reality within the next 18 months.”

Nichols pointed out that studies have shown that the majority of Americans would prefer to die at home. However, this may not be possible for patients who may need more attention than a caregiver can provide. The Wheeling hospice house will give those patients the benefits of hospice care in a home-like setting, she noted.

The new building has been designed to blend with the architecture of the existing structures on the property. The stone and brick home will be surrounded by a variety of gardens with water features and walkways, providing quiet spaces for conversation and reflection. Designers are GossenLivingston Architecture of Wichita, KS. Local project architect is SMG Architects of Wheeling.

The interior décor will be planned by Mary Beth Hughes, ASID, IIDA, of Hughes Design in Wheeling. Hughes will incorporate some of the Prairie-style elements of the building’s architecture into the living spaces, including a color scheme featuring soft yellow-golds and greens. Comfortable furniture will fill the building’s various porches.

All patient rooms will be private and will feature French doors leading to private screened patios allowing the patient’s bed to be moved outside. A chapel, family rooms, family kitchens and accommodations for family members will be included.  

Valley Hospice has been providing its services to the upper Ohio Valley since 1985. More than 1,200 patients are expected to receive care through Valley Hospice in 2007.