BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Lamar Wade of Brentwood, Tennessee, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in Cape Town, South Africa. The Compassus team, which included registered nurses, hospice aides, a social worker, volunteer coordinator, chaplain and other colleagues, spent a week in Cape Town working side by side Living Hope clinicians and administrators.
“The Living Hope colleagues are more than health care providers,” said Wade, vice president of human resources for Compassus. “They are members of the community who care about the residents of Cape Town like their own family, friends and neighbors. They treated us the same way and welcomed us with open arms, sharing the history of their communities and praying with us.”
Through an international partnership formed in 2011, Compassus donates monetary aid, medical supplies and health care expertise to support Living Hope’s health care and hospice services in the impoverished township communities of Cape Town. Compassus matches voluntary employee donations dollar for dollar for total donations in 2018 of more than $123,000 to the ministry-based nonprofit.
“One of the most meaningful moments I experienced while in Cape Town was visiting the Living Hope children’s aftercare program,” said Wade. “Despite the challenges they faced, the children were full of joy and optimism. They danced, sang and listened to stories with such attentiveness. Living Hope is really making an impact on the community and I’m grateful to have been a small part of it on this trip.”
Living Hope offers health care services, counseling and education to more than 200,000 underprivileged residents in Cape Town. Its programs focus on improving general health and hospice care, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and economic empowerment. Living Hope provides health care for more than 36,000 South Africans annually through in-home visits, medical clinics and a 22-bed inpatient hospice center.
“Compassion is at the heart of everything we do, and our compassion has an even broader impact when we have the opportunity to serve alongside Living Hope,” said Dennis Wade, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Compassus. “We are proud of our team and their work for the people of South Africa, and I hope it inspires others to join the effort to advance the well-being of those facing life-limiting illnesses.”
