LISTEN: Earlier this September, Northeast Georgia Health System broke ground on the region’s first standalone hospice house. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more.
Earlier this month, Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) broke ground on the region’s first standalone hospice house, named for philanthropists Chuck and Diane Stephens, who donated $5 million.
“Both of my parents received hospice care in New Hampshire while we were here in Georgia and were unable to be there full time to care for them,” Diane Stephens said in a press release. “We hope this place will offer patients the same great care and their families the comfort they need.”
The 16-bed Chuck and Diane Stephens Hospice House will offer a chapel, library, and green spaces where family members can gather, President and Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Northeast Georgia Health System Foundation Chris Bray said.
"We built a footprint that allows for eight more beds to be added onto the same property," he said, "If we found that we needed to expand pretty quickly."
The fully philanthropy-funded home is unique, Bray said, and could act as a model for other organizations that decide to bring end-of-life caregiving support into their communities.
"We look forward to making this a top-notch facility — not just for the patients but for the staff," Bray said.
The home is expected to be completed in late 2026.
