Preble Street’s work is never done in isolation. We are continuously making connections with other social service providers and nonprofits to better serve clients and the needs of the community. This month, we are highlighting a special partner of several of our programs, Hospice of Southern Maine.
Hospice of Southern Maine (HSM) works to ensure access to hospice support for all people wherever they call home. For the past twenty years, they’ve cared for patients throughout southern Maine, providing compassionate, patient-centered hospice care that meets each person where they are. As a non-profit agency, they work closely with community partners to ensure their care is available to all medically eligible individuals, regardless of their insurance, ability to pay, housing status, or other personal circumstances. With flexible care models, targeted outreach and education, and strong community relationships, HSM is able to support all people and care needs at end of life.
Their work is truly is a team approach. HSM employs an interdisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers who provide comprehensive care for both patients and their loved ones, including education, pain and symptom management, and physical, emotional, and spiritual support, all critical elements of navigating end of life. When pain and symptoms can no longer be managed at home, HSM provides 24-hour care at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, their inpatient facility in Scarborough.
With a shared commitment to ensuring the healthcare needs of unhoused individuals are met and their dignity honored, HSM partners with Preble Street to provide hospice care to clients. They recently cared for a shelter guest at end of life, working with Preble Street staff to ensure that visits could be scheduled, supplies delivered, and medications safely dispensed and stored. It is central to HSM’s care that patients know their hospice team is there to make each day the best it can be in a way that is uniquely meaningful to them. This looks different for each person they support.
“Hospice of Southern Maine has done fantastic work with our tenants over the years,” shared Sara Cyr-Jordan, Director of Preble Street Supportive Housing Program, Logan Place. “Although working with a tenant who is in hospice can be difficult, HSM has made the process easier. Our social work team will reach out to the clinicians and medical providers regularly to coordinate tenants’ care. They’ve been helpful in providing education to our team about end-of-life topics, helping to ease the anxiety around what to expect as someone is dying. They are committed to allowing tenants to make decisions around their care. Having this control to make decisions is vital for the tenants who live here. Many tenants prefer to spend their last days in their apartments here where they feel comfortable and are familiar with the environment. HSM’s home program allows this to happen as clinicians and medical staff will go into a tenant’s apartment to provide care. We are grateful for HSM and glad that they are connected to our community.”
Access to quality end-of-life care is a vital part of compassionate, comprehensive healthcare, yet unhoused individuals often face insurmountable barriers when attempting to access services.
“My favorite part of working for hospice is the ability to serve as a stable and supportive figure within a team of dedicated individuals for patients and families undergoing a difficult time and transition, said Ariane Bowie, LCSW, HSM Social Worker. “We are able to meet people where they are by forming meaningful bonds and providing patients and families with dignity, comfort, and quality of life.”
“HSM is committed to working with great partners like Preble Street who are already rooted in the community and to continuing to remove those access barriers, offer the care deserved, and protect each person’s dignity. These strengthened connections help to overcome stigma, equity issues, systematic gaps, and other barriers, allowing access to care. Participating in this collaborative work is truly an honor and a privilege for Hospice of Southern Maine.”
Meet more Preble Street partners:
An invaluable community connection
Preble Street’s work is never done in isolation. We are continuously making connections with other social service providers and nonprofits to better serve clients and the needs of the community. This month, we are highlighting a key partner of Preble Street Rapid Re-Housing Services and Veterans Housing Services, Trinity Jubilee Center. Serving over 5,000 people
Walking alongside survivors
Photo credit: Maine Morning Star Preble Street’s work is never done in isolation. We are continuously making connections with other social service providers and nonprofits to better serve clients and the needs of the community. This month, we are highlighting a key partner of Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services, MECASA. The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault
With a little help from our friends
The work we do to empower people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty is never done alone. We are continuously making connections with other social service providers and nonprofits to better serve clients and the needs of the community. From our decades-long collaboration with Avesta Housing for our housing programs to our new partnership with Maine