The Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, in collaboration with Bluffton Hospital and Bridge Home Health & Hospice, divisions of Blanchard Valley Health System, recently designated a memorial wall in Bluffton Hospital to commemorate those who have received hospice care at the facility.

The first plaque was purchased by Bill Watkins, former president and chief administrative officer of Bluffton Hospital and Blanchard Valley Medical Practices, and his siblings to memorialize their mother, Helen.

Helen donated her efforts to Bluffton Hospital as a volunteer and a capital campaign worker raising funds to support projects at the hospital.

She spent her last days receiving hospice care at Bluffton Hospital. According to Watkins, Helen was given “kind, thoughtful, comforting care,” during her stay.

“Bridge Hospice at Bluffton Hospital allowed our mother to stay close to home,” Watkins said. “The staff were able to put her at ease almost immediately upon arrival and truly had a positive impact on her final days.”

Bluffton Hospital designates two rooms for patients to receive care from Bridge Hospice. While these rooms have been established for approximately six years, they were recently renovated to provide a more comforting and calming environment to accommodate both patients and families.

Bridge Hospice provides both symptom management and respite care services at Bluffton Hospital. The two other locations for Bridge Hospice are in Findlay and Bowling Green, Ohio.

“With the Watkins’ family donation, we are now able to better memorialize patients who receive hospice care at Bluffton Hospital,” said Jayne Mays, inpatient hospice and personal care services manager at Bridge Home Health & Hospice.

“We strive to deliver the most comforting care possible that would make Helen and the patients who follow proud.”

For more information on Bridge Home Health & Hospice, call 419.423.5351.