Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice celebrates move to new home

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has a new location at 200 Third Street in Milford Borough, Pa.

“We look forward to being a more active and visible member of the community,” said Lee Ellison, director of Marketing for the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, at the Oct. 9 ribbon cutting. At the larger facility, the hospice, which is also the home of the Milford area Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center, will host community education seminars, children’s bereavement workshops, group bereavement sessions and more.

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has served local communities since 1980. Julia and Joseph Quinlan, pioneers of the hospice movement, opened the first hospice in Sussex County, N.J., on April 15, 1980, five years to the day after their daughter Karen Ann slipped into a coma. The hospice started with money donated by the Quinlans that was earned from proceeds of a book and television film documenting their experience.

The hospice expanded into Warren County, N.J., on 1988, and in 2008 opened an office in Milford, at 315 West Harford Street. After several years the office relocated to 104 Bennet Avenue and is now housed at 200 Third Street.

Hospice is not a place and hospice care is not just about those who are dying. Hospice is a comprehensive kind of care that focuses on living — it’s about living as fully as possible, surrounded by family and friends, up until the end of life.

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice is an independently owned hospice program and is the preferred hospice provider for Newton Medical Center and area Atlantic Health Care System. The award-winning Home for Hospice is located in Fredon, N.J.

The Karen Ann Quinlan Memorial Foundation is dedicated to providing hospice care for the terminally ill and bereavement counseling for those who have lost loved ones.

The Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center is open to hospice families and the community for bereavement support, counseling and educational opportunities. It is located at 5 Plains Road in Augusta with satellite offices in Pike and Warren counties.

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice serves Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania. For more information call 800-882-1117 or visit karenannquinlanhospice.org.