COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Compassus recently sent a team of local medical volunteers, including Maura Lipp, MD, of Columbia, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in South Africa. The Compassus team, which included three physicians, four registered nurses, a social worker, hospice aide and bereavement coordinator, spent a week in Cape Town educating and assisting the Living Hope staff.
“I’ve been on several mission trips, but this was truly a life-changing experience,” said Maura Lipp, Palliative Care Medical Director at Compassus – Columbia. “I witnessed compassion and love like I’ve never seen from my amazing Compassus family and the miracle workers at Living Hope.”
Through a partnership started in 2011, Compassus donates monetary aid, medical supplies and healthcare expertise to support Living Hope’s healthcare and hospice services in the impoverished township communities of Cape Town, South Africa.
“The Living Hope team is working to help the sick and impoverished in all facets of life from healthcare with a palliative focus, to substance abuse treatment, life skills education and youth programs,” continued Lipp. “What they have already accomplished is incredible but what they are up against is also incomprehensible.”
Living Hope, a ministry-based non-profit, offers healthcare services, counseling and education to more than 200,000 underprivileged residents in Cape Town. Living Hope’s programs focus on improving general health and hospice care, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and economic empowerment. Living Hope provides healthcare for more than 36,000 South Africans annually through in-home visits, medical clinics and a 22-bed inpatient hospice center.
Compassus supports Living Hope in three ways: funding, education and hands-on medical assistance. The company matches voluntary employee donations to the dollar every year and will also assist Living Hope with necessary medical supplies and equipment.
“As members of the hospice team, we have a calling to deliver compassionate care not only in our local communities, but also to those around the world. This partnership allows us the opportunity to do both,” said Edie Rimas, executive director for Compassus – Columbia. “We are proud of our team of volunteers and the work they did on this recent trip, and look forward to continuing to support the program in the future. We encourage other organizations and individuals to join in the effort.”
For more information about Compassus or its services, visit compassus.com or call (931) 548-7014.
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