Letter: County needs hospice center

I recently lost my husband due to complications following a stroke. He was transferred from Hilton Head Hospital to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, which is the regional hospital for strokes, head traumas, and severe cardiac issues.

From there, because he would not recover, he was transferred to Hospice Savannah, where he received wonderful care from devoted nurses and other staffers. When I first entered Hospice Savannah, I felt a veil of tranquility and peace settle over me, and I know he felt it too.

My question is this: why do we not have a Hospice House in the Hilton Head-Bluffton area, or in Beaufort? There are lots of individuals in this area who might need such a facility and yet the nearest ones are Savannah, which means driving the back roads to get there; or Charleston, which is at least two hours away, making it impossible for a family member caregiver to go home at all during their loved one’s stay in hospice care. This is totally unacceptable, in my opinion.

And this is a need that takes precedence over a lot of other issues.

I am hoping to see such a facility develop in this area before I am in need of such. I am hoping there are other readers who feel the same and we can do something positive in this area of need.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Letter: County needs hospice center."