Carroll Hospice Announces New Name: BridgingLife
As Carroll Hospice expands its programs and extends the reach of its compassionate end-of-life care, the organization is pleased to announce a new name and tagline, BridgingLife: Compassionate care for life's transitions. Announced today, the new name highlights the exceptional, deeply personalized care the organization consistently provides and reflects its newly expanded palliative care program and geographic scope. Affiliated with Carroll Hospital, a LifeBridge Health Center, BridgingLife is a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering high quality palliative and hospice services to individuals with life-limiting, progressive illnesses and support to those who love them.
"Everyone has a different story. Throughout our more than 30 years in operation, we have earned a reputation for providing families with a sense of comfort and confidence because of our attentiveness to their individual needs and preferences," says Regina Bodnar, assistant vice president of hospice and palliative care services for Carroll Hospice. "Now, as BridgingLife, we are proud to move forward with our mission to provide comfort and care in the setting best suited to address the needs of patients and their loved ones."
Along with its Carroll County services, BridgingLife operates a 14-bed inpatient hospice unit at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, and the hospice team is preparing to manage a general 12-bed inpatient unit at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore this June. Future plans include extending BridgingLife's palliative and end-of-life care and grief support services to Levindale Hospital and Grace Medical Center, both located in Baltimore City.
Additionally, renovations will soon begin on Dove House, BridgingLife's inpatient hospice facility in Westminster, to increase capacity from eight to 14 beds and to refresh its patient and family rooms.
"Our team is excited to expand the hospice footprint into Sinai, Northwest and Levindale hospitals, as well as Grace Medical Center," says Leslie Simmons, chief operating officer and executive vice president of LifeBridge Health. "Our hospice's leadership and staff consistently outperform national benchmarks in quality hospice care, and we want to make sure the entire region has access to that."
At the beginning of the expansion process, a committee composed of board members, community and staff came together to select a new name that would reflect the mission, historical perspective, powerful emotion and regional aspect of the organization.
"The naming process was extensive and extremely inclusive," shares Ellen Finnerty Myers, vice president of corporate development for Carroll Hospital, with executive hospice and palliative care oversight for LifeBridge Health. "BridgingLife encompasses all that we do and how proud we are to do it."
Carroll Hospice began in 1986 to provide end-of-life care to residents in Carroll County. Through the years, the organization has expanded its services and reach to not only care for patients in Carroll County but also to provide in-home and facility-based hospice, grief support and palliative care services in Carroll, Baltimore and Frederick counties, Baltimore City and portions of Pennsylvania.
Nationally acclaimed and accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), and a 2019 Hospice Honors recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, four years running, BridgingLife also offers counseling, spiritual and grief support for family and friends, as well as a We Honor Veterans program for veterans. It is Medicare certified and a member of the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
For more information about BridgingLife and its range of palliative, hospice an