Huntington Quarterly Autumn 2022

Lawrence, Gallia andMeigs counties in Ohio. In 2006, the local com munity’s support took center stage with the opening of the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House. “That was a tremendous financial undertaking from our community for the good of every person,” Hall said. “Not every community has a hospice house.We strive every day to make sure our hospice house continues to be the gift to the com munity it was intended to be.” Hospice of Huntington contin ues to add services and programs, remaining true toDarby’s mission to provide palliative care to people near ing the end of life, including those withAlzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, COPD, congestive heart failure and other life-limiting conditions. “Hospice focuses on quality of life and mitigating suffering,

allowing people in the last phases of incurable disease to live com fortably and with dignity,” Hall explained. Board chair Dr. Robert Stanton said it’s this purpose-driven com mitment to the terminally ill that makes Hospice “the best of the best” in the region. “TheHospice tradition is simple — to show kindness and support to families during times of their great est need,” Dr. Stanton said. “This tradition was what Laura Darby envisioned for the organization 40 years ago. It was at the heart of Dr. J. David Daniels’ work as medical director from 1982 until his retirement in 2008 and was the passion and focus of Charlene Farrell during her 30-plus years as the organization’s executive direc tor. And the tradition continues

under Melanie Hall’s leadership.” In 2018, Hospice opened Tri State LifeCare, which provides care to those who’ve been diagnosed with a serious illness but don’t yet meet qualifications for hospice care. “We saw people needing help a lot earlier, before they met the criteria for hospice services,” Hall explained. “Within the medical specialty of hospice and palliative medicine, hospice is the highest level of support. But care is needed at every stage of serious illness, even while curative treatments are underway. Tri-State LifeCare lets us provide palliative therapies and services to patients and families before they need hospice.” Tri-State LifeCare, like Hospice, takes a multidisciplinary approach, working with a patient’s primary care physician and other providers

Charlene Farrell led Hospice for 30 years before retiring in 2014.

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