ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Monday, local organizations held a ceremony outside the Seventh-day Adventist Pantry to mark the beginning of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
At noon, professionals from OSF Home Care & Hospice and North Woods Home Care & Hospice rang bells in memory of the hospice patients who died in 2026. They were joined by the Escanaba High School Chorale, which sang a medley of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and Amazing Grace. A chaplain said a prayer for those touched by hospice care.
Lesley Hoffmeyer, manager for OSF Bay de Noc Hospice, hopes that the ringing of the bells reminded passersby of the important role hospice plays in the end of a patient’s life.
“I hope they think about their loved ones that have gone before us, not thinking that hospice is a scary, bad word,” she said. “I want them to understand that it is something that people need, and people who do utilize it can’t say enough about it.”
Hoffmeyer says at OSF, hospice is more than just a job; it is a calling and a passion. She says the care that hospice workers provide is available to patients for longer than they might realize.
“We’ve had patients that have been under hospice for a year, two years,” said Hoffmeyer. “We’ve had patients under hospice for six months and some that are in the last days, where you don’t really get to see all of the benefit that you can get from the support that we give.”
To learn more about hospice services available through OSF and North Woods, visit osfheaelthcare.org or northwoodshomecare.com.
