Gilchrist Hospice Care

Gilchrist Hospice Care (ghc) was founded in 1994 as a home Hospice organization and that function remains at the core of our mission of providing the finest in end of life Care. Patients are offered a wide-array of services that are provided by members of an interdisciplinary team that includes a physician, a registered nurse, a Hospice aide, a social worker and a chaplain, as well as volunteers. After the death of a loved one, bereavement counselors provide counseling and support for patient families and the community at-large. During fy2023, ghc provided end of life services for patients in baltimore city and baltimore, carroll, harford and howard counties. During fy2023, we provided quality, compassionate Hospice Care for approximately 268,000 homecare patient days in central Maryland and grief support for thousands of family members and caregivers.

Gilchrist Hospice Care recognized that there was a need to provide the finest in end of life Care for infants and children and for all those who love them, therefore, Gilchrist kids program was started. Gilchrist kids' goal is to help any child "live well" during their last months, weeks and days and to provide their loved ones with the support they need during their most difficult time. By providing relief from physical, emotional, social, and spiritual suffering, we enhance the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families. Our pediatric home Hospice program cares for infants, children, teens, and young adults with life-limiting illnesses or injuries and is focused on (see schedule o)- palliative (comfort oriented) Care- pain management- symptom control - and emotional support in addition to enhancing the child's Care, Gilchrist kids provides grief support and counseling to surviving family and friends. In fy23, Gilchrist provided more than 10,500 days of Care for pediatric patients.

Gilchrist inpatient centers are designed to provide the highest-level acute inpatient Hospice Care in a home-like setting. Patients with pain or symptoms that are difficult to manage in their homes are referred to Gilchrist center for Care and many Gilchrist patients spend their last days or hours in the renowned facility, which allows patient families and friends to visit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The facility opened with 24 patient rooms in 1996 and was expanded, in 2009, to 34 patient rooms due to increased demand for inpatient services. In 2011, Gilchrist expanded inpatient services to howard county by opening a 10 patient room facility and in 2021 Gilchrist opened a 18 patient room facility in baltimore city. The inpatient centers provided 15,297 patient days in fy23.

Gilchrist has worked to position itself to help seniors well before the need for Hospice. As serious illnesses increase, we have the eldercare group to begin helping patients upstream from a Hospice referral when they begin to really need an integrated approach. The elder medical Care program addresses the needs of people who find it difficult to travel to office appointments with multiple specialists. Gilchrist can assist by helping seniors remain in their home or residence. We provide comprehensive, coordinated medical Care that is overseen by a physician, with regular visits by a nurse practitioner. Gilchrist provides education about Hospice Care and bereavement services to the public and the healthcare community. Through our counseling and support program, counselors are available to provide emotional support before and after a loss through grief counseling sessions, support groups, workshops and remembrance events.