December 11, 2006

Hope of Southwest Florida has made the decision to withdraw our Hope Memorial Care application to provide funeral care and related services. We have listened to the questions raised in the community, and we will work to address concerns and dispel misconceptions. At the same time, we will continue to evaluate ways to improve the quality of life in our community.

Hope's mission is to provide exceptional care and support to every individual and their loved ones as they fulfill life's journey. Hope Memorial Care is a natural part of our mission. Our major focus is and always will be to help others live their lives as fully as possible. This includes providing physical, spiritual and emotional support as they plan for the end of the journey. We know that the way a person dies and how well their final wishes are honored will live on the hearts and minds of their family for years to come.

For most people, funerals and memorials are an important part of the mourning process as they say goodbye to a loved one. We know as well as anyone that this is difficult for families, and if we can ease their burden by offering this service, we will have improved their quality of life. Our intent in submitting the application to the State of Florida's Division of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services was to further improve the quality of care options for people at this difficult time.

Many people are aware of our hospice program, which began 25 years ago. Since then, we have created many new programs, all in keeping with our goal to improve quality of care. These programs include a bereavement camp for children and in-home care for the frail elderly. Each and every new program has added to the quality of life in our community.

We've had conversations about our proposal with hundreds of local people within the past year, and Hope Memorial Care is our response to those conversations. We have heard requests for more nontraditional celebrations of life and new ways to memorialize loved ones. Those who have had experience with hospice care know that we will meet their expectations. They see no reason to separate the death itself from the entire care process we provide because they know we will honor their wishes.

These requests for different options and new ideas for funeral care and related services clearly and naturally fit within our goal. We want to help people live every day as fully as possible and to help them live and die with dignity.

We have always encouraged pre-planning to avert difficult decision-making at the end of life. Because of the dramatic increase in the number of people who are pre-planning their funerals, many who enter hospice care have already made their arrangements, which we would always be sure are honored.

With our proposal, we have opened up a community dialog regarding new options for final arrangements. Hope's Board of Directors will review all suggestions as we continue to move forward in meeting our community's needs.

Samira K. Beckwith, Hope President and CEO