A Year-End Message to Our Community

As we welcome a new year, I find myself reflecting with deep gratitude on all we have been able to accomplish together. Every step forward, every program launched, and every family supported was made possible because of you—our patients, families, staff, volunteers, donors, partners, and friends across the region. Nothing we do happens in isolation. Everything we do is the direct result of a community that believes in compassionate, equitable, and meaningful care—especially during life’s most vulnerable moments.

At the heart of our work is a simple but profound commitment: to walk alongside individuals and families with dignity, comfort, and presence when it matters most. Because of your trust and support, we are able to offer calm when there is fear, connection when there is uncertainty, and peace when words fall short.

This year, your support strengthened our work in countless ways:

• We completed our first full year of integrated operations with Hospice of Washington County and Franklin Hospice, allowing us to support more patients and families across Western Maryland and South-Central Pennsylvania. This partnership has shown what is possible when organizations unite around a shared commitment to dignity and compassion.
• The Lifecare Institute, our partnership with Luminis Health, continued to grow in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties. Just three years ago, we served our very first patient. Today, the program supports 170 patients every day. Our successful model has now expanded to five additional health systems—an achievement rooted entirely in collaboration, trust, and shared purpose.
• In West Baltimore, our PACE Center, in partnership with Keswick and Catholic Charities, welcomed its first participants. Because of this program, older adults who might otherwise face institutional care can now remain safely at home while receiving comprehensive, coordinated medical, social, and emotional support. This milestone reflects a shared belief among our state and community partners in a more dignified way to age.
• We were approached by Inova, Northern Virginia’s largest healthcare system, to form a new joint venture—Gilchrist Hospice, in collaboration with Inova. Beginning in 2026, we will work together to provide hospice care across their hospitals and surrounding communities. We are humbled by this opportunity and by the trust it represents.
• We also implemented the HOPE assessment tool across our hospice programs, helping us better understand what matters most to our patients and families and continuously improve the care we provide—ensuring it is guided not only by clinical excellence, but by compassion and personal values.

This year also brought national recognition that belongs not to Gilchrist alone, but to every person who supports our mission:

• Gilchrist received the American Hospital Association’s prestigious Circle of Life Award for the second time—an honor that shines a light on our entire region and the collective commitment to compassionate care.
• We became the first organization in Maryland, and one of the first in the nation, to earn Hospice and Palliative Care Certification from the American Heart Association for meeting rigorous, science-based standards in heart failure care.
• We were selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to participate in the eight-year GUIDE Model pilot program, aimed at transforming dementia care and easing the immense burden carried by caregivers.
• And we again earned Great Place to Work® certification, a recognition we deeply value, because caring for those who provide care is foundational to serving our community well.

While each milestone is meaningful, none of them belongs solely to us. They belong to you.

Because of your generosity, encouragement, and belief in our mission, thousands of individuals were able to live with comfort, dignity, and peace. Families received guidance and grief support. Veterans were honored. Children and adults received compassionate hospice care. Caregivers found relief and reassurance. Seriously ill seniors remained safely at home. And entire communities experienced what is possible when people come together around a shared purpose.

As we look ahead, we do so with both gratitude and humility. We recognize the growing challenges facing families today—from the complexities of serious illness to the realities of caregiving. No single organization can meet these challenges alone. But with your partnership, we are confident in our ability to continue innovating, deepening collaboration, and ensuring every person we serve feels seen, supported, and cared for.

On behalf of everyone at Gilchrist, thank you—for your trust, your partnership, and your belief in our mission. Your commitment makes a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.

Wishing you a peaceful and meaningful new year.

“To serve with compassion is not just to care for others, but to honor the humanity in all of us.”

With gratitude,
Catherine Y. Hamel
President, Gilchrist