By Jane Hron, RN BSN, Marcus Daly Home Health & Hospice Department Head
Marcus Daly Hospice encourages you to review solicitation pleas carefully.
Hospice is a movement that developed about fifty years ago in England and thankfully has moved into this country very effectively. Hospice services are provided when patients and families are at end-of- life and in need of care, guidance, dignity and trust. At Marcus Daly Hospice we find when caring for our patients and working with the family, relationships are formed, bonds are built and trust is created.
Because of the many relationships we have formed over the last 30+ years of providing Ravalli County residents with hospice care, we feel it is our responsibility to inform you of a concerning solicitation “plea” for donations targeting our local area.
The Hospice Support Fund (A Program of the New Hope Foundation, Inc.) located in Merrifield, VA has been soliciting in Ravalli County. We learned about this through expressed concerns from our patients and their family members. They had been contacted via telephone and with personalized charity mailer(s). Their solicitation includes a plea from “Hospice Support Fund – so that all Americans can have a peaceful and dignified end of life.” The mailers imply great urgency, and the “2nd Request” includes a “Pledge Reply Form or 2015 Annual Fund Drive”.
Please do not confuse “Hospice Support Fund, Mail Processing Center, Merrifield, VA” solicitation with Marcus Daly Hospice Services, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton MT. When you donate to Marcus Daly Hospice, 100% of your donation is used for patient care. Your donation stays local and allows us to provide the much needed supplies and services for your family, friends and neighbors enrolled on Marcus Daly Hospice Services, whether they are in the Center or at home.
We urge you to read carefully, if you are considering making a donation to Hospice Support Fund (A Program of the New Hope Foundation, Inc.). According to the facts in their Legal Disclosure, your contribution will be used as follows: approximately 69.39 % for fundraising, 10.22 % on administration, 14.46 % on public education in conjunction with fundraising, and only 5.93% on program services. The legal disclosure is available to you online at http://www.hospicesupportfund.org/disclosure.php.
We value the relationships that we have established through the years and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 363-6503 or stop by our offices on the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital campus (Hospice Center is on the west side of the hospital main entrance) at 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, Montana 59840.