BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Compassus recently sent a team of 12 volunteers, including Darryl Smith of Nashville, to assist Living Hope, the company’s sister hospice program in Cape Town, South Africa. The Compassus team, which included physicians, registered nurses, a hospice aide, social worker, bereavement coordinator, chaplain and corporate colleague, spent a week in Cape Town working side-by-side with Living Hope clinicians and administrators.
“I was humbled by my experience in Cape Town,” said Smith, a human resource information system analyst. “Walking the townships, meeting the local residents, and working alongside the good people of Living Hope left me feeling love and appreciation for this community on the other side of the world.”
Through a partnership started 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 to the dollar and last year raised more than $73,000 for the ministry-based nonprofit.
“I am happy to work for an organization that cares for others in both the communities we serve and across the globe,” continued Smith. “Compassus’ compassion is the reason I have been proud to work for this company for almost five years.”
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.
“Compassus has a calling to deliver compassionate care not only in our local communities but around the world. Serving alongside Living Hope allows us the opportunity to live out this higher purpose,” said Krystina Colwell, director of compensation, benefits and HRIS at Compassus. “We are proud of our team and the work they do for the people of South Africa and hope it inspires others to join the effort to advance the well-being of those facing life-limiting illnesses.”
For more information, visit the Compassus homepage or call (877) 377-1607.
