Pictured: Katherine Quinn Flood Leibfried
Chairman of the First Federal Bank Board and longtime Lake City resident and businessman, Keith Leibfried, recently announced that First Federal Foundation has established a $50,000 endowment for Palliative Care in Columbia County. Keith Leibfried and First Federal Bank have been supporters of Haven since 1994, donating more than $300,000.
This endowment, which consists of a $50,000 donation from First Federal Foundation, is to create Haven’s first endowment for palliative care services in Columbia County. While Haven has long offered palliative care services throughout North Central Florida, the not-for-profit organization announced in 2021 that it would expand palliative care efforts across its 18-county service area.
“It is an honor for First Federal to establish this endowment to fund palliative care in Columbia County,” said Leibfried. “Haven Hospice plays an integral role in the communities it serves, especially in Columbia County, and this endowment will help ensure that seriously ill patients will continue to receive the compassionate care and assistance they need. I would not have been able to keep my wife at home without Haven’s palliative care team. Everyone who cared for her, especially the nurses and aides, showed us such compassion and respect.”
The donation was given in honor of Mr. Leibfried’s late wife, Katherine Quinn Flood Leibfried, who was cared for by Haven in 2018. Leibfried serves on the board of the Haven Hospice Foundation and has long served on Haven’s Community Advisory Board.
“This generous gift will be transformational for Haven and the Lake City community in that it will expand Haven’s services to patients with serious illness who are still pursuing curative measures,” said Haven Chief Medical Officer Shirley Codada, MD, FAAHPM. “Palliative care is not hospice care – rather it is a serious illness continuum and patients receiving the service can expect compassionate communication, improved quality of life using an approach to care that is patient and family centered. That extra layer of support is what is needed to keep vulnerable patients whole through their healthcare journey.”
The First Federal endowment for Palliative Care will fund Haven’s palliative care program in the years to come with the interest and dividends that are generated by the endowment.
The Haven Hospice Foundation was formed in 2021. In addition to Leibfried, the Haven Hospice Foundation Board also includes another local Columbia County resident, John Medina, who serves as CEO of First Federal Bank.