Special Advertising Feature
Colleen Shields | Director of Community Partnerships | Hospice of the Chesapeake
Colleen Shields leads a dedicated team that collaborates with hundreds of health partners across Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Charles, and Calvert counties, as well as the larger hospitals in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. We educate and empower patients, families, and community members with practical tools to support proactive planning and the management of progressive illness—always with a focus on enhancing quality of life.
Who are your community partners, and how do you support their work?
We collaborate with primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, memory care units, skilled nursing centers, assisted living facilities, and home health organizations. Our team’s role is to offer expert guidance and connect providers with resources to make hospice services a seamless extension of the compassionate care they already deliver.
How do you provide education to your community health partners?
Most people are unaware that at its core hospice is an insurance benefit. Our team offers education to healthcare industry partners, informing them how hospice and supportive care can help them navigate advanced illness. We also provide in-service training for healthcare providers on disease progression and when a patient becomes eligible for their hospice benefit. These conversations are more impactful when they happen early—before a crisis occurs—so people can make informed and confident decisions with clarity and peace of mind.
How do you help people find comfort when their illness has progressed to an advanced stage?
When a patient’s quality of life is reduced, hospice care focuses on managing any pain or other symptoms caused by their illness. We concentrate on emotional and spiritual needs—not just the patient’s but also those of their loved ones and care teams. All any of us wants is more time. It’s proven that by starting hospice sooner, patients live longer. There is less stress on the patient and the family when they’re not being transferred back and forth from the hospital. Months of hospice care provide more quality time spent with the ones you love.
We understand navigating the healthcare system can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to ensure that everyone is educated about the choices available when facing advanced illness. We are there when you need us!
Hospice of the Chesapeake | Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s counties | 410-987-2003 | hospicechesapeake.org
