By Sam Wildow

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TROY — Over 100 members of the community welcomed Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County’s new Hospice House during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new $12 million facility, which is located on the campus of the Upper Valley Medical Center.

Kent Anderson, president and CEO of Ohio’s Hospice, welcomed the attendees on Thursday. Anderson also recognized Tom Hagan, chair of the board of directors, and Linda Daniel, former executive director of Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County, for starting the journey toward this new building.

Anderson, who has been involved in building six Hospice Houses across the country, said, “It’s really important to tell a story to the community about the building and the care that will be delivered in that building … What I hope you see is we paid respect and homage the history of Miami County.”

Anderson also reminded attendees about the importance of hospice. He explained he told the contractor, Bruns General Contracting, and other entities that have worked on this project that this building may be their most important work.

“This is a sacred place, and this building is about you. It’s about a community coming together and saying, ‘It’s important that we make the end of life special, that we make the end of life not frightening,’” Anderson said. “Hospice is not a scary place, and I think (when you come and visit), you’ll find more joy here, because there’s meaning and purpose in everything we do.”

Anderson thanked the board of Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County, as well as recognized the care team at Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County.

“The board — without their leadership, without their support — this wouldn’t have come to fruition,” Anderson said. “And selfishly, I have to thank our care team here in Miami County. (They’re) an exceptional team. I think you can travel anywhere around the country, and I would put this team up against any other hospice provider. They’re compassionate, they’re kind, they’re knowledgeable, they’re experts, and every day, they come to work, putting others before themselves, and you can see that reflected back from the community in their support for our mission.”

Carey Short, executive director of Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County, commended the work Bruns General Contracting did on the building, saying they were “an amazing group to work with.”

Short also talked about entering her role at Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with the challenges that presented. She also thanked the community for its continued support of hospice.

“Thank you all for hanging in there and for supporting me, supporting Hospice of Miami County. We really do appreciate it. I look forward to taking you on tours and talking more about the building. There’s some great things in this building,” Short said.

“These people — they work and they take care of their patients,” Hagan said about Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County. “It was incredible for me to see that and know that I got a place to go maybe some day if I need to.

While the discussions of constructing a Hospice House for Miami County began in 2012, the vision of it has been in the back of the minds of the organization since the 80s, according to Hagan. Hagan joined Hospice of Miami County at that time as a pharmacist before later transitioning into a board member.

“We decided we needed a building way back years and years ago,” Hagan said. “It’s been a long time coming, and look at it now. So we’re excited that we’re going to be able to take care of patients forever here, and we still have the contingency to add on six more rooms if we need them, and we won’t have to send anybody to Dayton anymore.”

“Everybody that did stuff on the board and all the workers in hospice — everybody’s just been fantastic,” Hagan said. “I thank you all for the donations, and we would always rely on people to keep us going, and you guys certainly have. It’s been wonderful.”