40 YEARS OF GIVING HOPE
How it all began
Every day at Hope is a gift—a gift that united a small group of kind-hearted Fort Myers residents 40 years ago. This team of volunteer nurses, doctors, clergy, professors and other professionals were determined to give back to their neighbors and loved ones and created H.O.P.E., the Hospice Oriented Program for Everyone. Little did they know that the organization they started in a church would become one of the leading health care providers in all of Southwest Florida and recognized nationally as a model for exceptional care.
The founding members used donated office space in a Fort Myers church to establish the organization. Small donations helped the growing group of volunteer nurses and caregivers travel to visit with, and provide comfort to, patients throughout Fort Myers.
H.O.P.E.'S volunteer caregivers provided emotional support to individuals nearing the end of life, talking with them and their families and answering questions about what they should expect. No matter the time of day, a
A long list of accolades and awards demonstrates how Hope Healthcare and Samira are locally and nationally recognized for the way the organization provides high-quality medical, emotional and spiritual care and support, always focused on comfort and quality of life.
nurse was available to visit with individuals in their homes, and small but meaningful gestures like bringing a favorite food became an integral part of the personalized, loving care that Hope still provides today.
In 1981, Hope was incorporated as a notfor-profit agency. The once-grassroots effort continued to blossom as the organization sought to provide exceptional care and support to every individual and their loved ones as they fulfill life's journey.grant funds,combined with increasing donations, allowed Hope to provide professional services from nurses, aides, social workers, clergy and a physician.
Dr. Daniel Dosoretz, an original physician for Hope, had relocated to Southwest Florida from a large Boston hospital that had palliative care. He realized that patients here were being admitted to hospitals for critical care at the end of life.“there was a need here,” he recalls. “We needed to create a place for patients to go when they didn't have good options.”
Dottie Hummel, an original board member and registered nurse, remembers trying to educate the public on hospice care—a relatively
Clockwise from left: The Easy Striders mall walkers, 2000; Volunteers host an informational booth, 1997; Hope PACE Care Center opens in Naples, 2012.
obscure term at the time—by appearing intv and radio interviews and writing articles and public service announcements. In 1982, the first 29 volunteers completed a new training program and began additional support services for patients and families.the Certificate of Need was received in 1983.The acceptance of Hope grew when the organization hit another milestone in 1984: becoming certified as a Medicare and Medicaid provider. Now, Medicare beneficiaries pay little or nothing out-of-pocket for hospice, and hospice coverage is part of most insurance programs.
As Hope grew, says Dosoretz, a sense of goodwill started to develop in the medical community; Hope was viewed as an asset to Southwest Florida, and its services complemented those that were available.
“I think the ability to create a system that is accepted by all providers is a great accomplishment,” Dosoretz says. “The organization is great at accepting input from all of the physicians and hospitals. It's been a great work of consensus, and that has made a big difference.”
Oncologist Thomas E. Teufel's involvement with cancer patients made it a natural fit for him to serve on Hope's board.when he joined, Hope was still a volunteer board working out of a church, and he remembers the excitement when Hope grew to serve 30 patients each day, many of whom were in the final stages of cancer. “Hospice in its development has learned to reach out to the com
but viewed this as a big project,” he says. “She decided to take the leap of faith. She is the primary person responsible for the growth.”
Now, Hope Healthcare cares for more than 3,000 individuals and their families daily throughout Southwest Florida.
Teufel and other original volunteers and staff members saw Beckwith add a broad scope of services, including Hope Kids Care, the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Lee County's only Parkinson's program, Hope Visiting Nurses and Hope Palliative Care.the evolution led H.O.P.E. to become Hope Healthcare. Beckwith also spearheaded the organization's fundraising, enabling Hope to grow physically and create multiple environments in which life's journey is cherished.today, the organization has 12 Hope Care Centers located in Florida's Collier, Charlotte, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
“As Hope's mission has expanded, hospice
“I think the ability to create a system that is accepted by all providers is a great accomplishment.”
—Dr. Daniel Dosoretz, an original physician for Hope
has kept ahead of it,” says Teufel.“all of that goes back to Samira and other good people she's brought in to help her.”
A long list of accolades and awards demonstrates how Hope Healthcare and Samira are locally and nationally recognized for the way the organization provides high-quality medical, emotional and spiritual care and support, always focused on comfort and quality of life.
Over the years, volunteer Dottie Hummel watched the organization expand; today, she is filled with pride that the loving care and comfort she and her friends provided four decades ago continues with each person whose life is touched by Hope.