Few people know service and sacrifice quite like a veteran. And as resolutely as they have taken care of us, Empath Health believes in taking care of them. We also recognize that veterans may have unique medical, social, spiritual and emotional needs. Our interdisciplinary teams works to understand each veteran’s personal goals. Through a variety of veterans assistance services, we can then help him or her achieve them. Families of veterans also receive support as well as connections to beneficial resources. Because they too have sacrificed.
Services include trained veteran volunteers, military service recognition ceremonies, We Honor Veterans program, Veterans History Project and Honor Flight®.
Veterans Serving Veterans
Trained veteran volunteers bring their military experiences to their hospice work. Through a shared common language and cultural bond, veteran volunteers provide a great deal of support to veteran patients and their families.
Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project collects first-hand accounts of combat veterans’ military experience for future generations. Specially trained Suncoast Hospice volunteers interview our veterans to create a video or audio recording, which is then submitted and archived in the Library of Congress. Participants receive a copy of their interview, certificate of participation and record of where their stories are archived.
We Honor Veterans Program
Suncoast Hospice is a Level Four Partner of the We Honor Veterans (WHV) program. We Honor Veterans is a National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) initiative in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We are committed to WHV’s mission of respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment of the veterans we serve. Working with the VA, veteran service organizations and other community partners, we are able to provide many specialized programs and services that honor and support veterans.
Honor Flight
Honor Flight® transports combat era veterans to their memorials in Washington, D.C. free of charge. Top priority is given to senior veterans and those under hospice care. Suncoast Hospice is able to facilitate the application process and assist in coordinating the flight.