William Jennings Hartman, Sr. recently received posthumous recognition from Haven’s We Honor Heroes program. Mr. Hartman— lovingly called “Jen” throughout his life— was a United States (U.S.) Navy veteran and spent a brief time at Haven’s Suwannee Valley Hospice Care Center in Lake City in November. His family participated in a veteran recognition ceremony on [...]
Haven recently dedicated an area in the E.T. York Hospice Care Center in Gainesville as a space to honor veterans and first responders. The "We Honor Heroes" space-- funded by the Thomas A. Plein Foundation-- includes a curio cabinet with memorabilia, an American flag, a writing desk and chair and a framed custom quilt created [...]
Kathy L. Fernandez, BSN, MHA, was selected as Haven’s interim president, effective June 17, 2019. After over 20 years as an executive leader of Chapters Health System in Tampa, Kathy retired from her position as president and chief executive officer. Under her visionary leadership, Chapters experienced a significant increase in the number of patients under [...]
Marie-Carmelle Elie, M.D. recently began her role as Haven’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO). A triple board-certified physician, Dr. Elie joins Haven’s executive leadership team with extensive experience in patient care, research and leadership. “I am eager to join the Haven team because Haven’s reputation precedes itself; countless numbers of my patients and families have found [...]
Officer Damon Cole, dressed as Spider-Man, recently traveled from Texas to Haven’s E.T. York Care Center in Gainesville to visit a young patient. Officer Cole’s goal is to visit any child battling illness that wants to see him. He comes dressed as their favorite superhero to inspire them to never give up, while also building [...]
Holly Kraig Helton was deeply touched by a hospice experience last year and decided she wanted to contribute to Haven. After experiencing a hospice’s “wonderful care” for her mother-in-law in Mississippi, Holly traveled back to Alachua County and thought of a meaningful way she could honor her mother-in-law and give back: creating and selling stuffed [...]
Chris Russell, Haven’s Hospice Director for the East Region, was awarded the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency. The individual award is given to employers who are supportive of service members. An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve can nominate his or [...]
St. Augustine event planner Karen Erwin has been coordinating with Haven for years to donate wedding flowers to hospice patients after events. Karen’s mother received someone’s wedding flowers when she was in hospice care in 2012, sparking Karen to implement flower donation in her own business. “I saw how excited the flowers made my mom [...]
* * To protect the privacy of the deceased, we will be using the pseudonym “Joe” throughout this story. Joe’s biggest concern was that his death wouldn’t mean anything. This Vietnam War veteran, who was in-and-out of homelessness his whole adult life and had no family, had not experienced much companionship in his life until [...]
Gainesville resident Arnold Johnson, born on January 18, 1919, recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Haven helped celebrate Mr. Johnson's life and birthday with balloons and a Legacy Project hand photography session. Gainesville Volunteer Coordinator Susie Finfrock delivers balloons to Arnold Johnson in celebration of his 100th birthday. Mr. Johnson, lovingly referred to as "Uncle Arnie" [...]