The new Mishawaka campus for Center for Hospice Care has been nearly 10 years in the making. The community has been watching the campus emerge on the Riverwalk, with the Ernestine M. Raclin House as the final piece of the puzzle. Center for Hospice Care invited community members into the Raclin House Tuesday to tour the brand new state-of-the-art inpatient facility as the company prepares to enter the next decade of providing mission-centered care.
Faces of community members, Chamber ambassadors, volunteers, and staff were filled with awe as they toured the Ernestine M. Raclin House for the first time. Custom artwork, detailed tile, stone, and wood with an abundance of cozy furniture were just a few of the amenities visitors noticed right away. Hannah Nichols, Communications and Events Coordinator for Hospice Foundation, was excited to finally be able to share the finished product with the community.
“I hope that the community can see how much heart went into the creation of this space. This has been a vision for a long time and it’s great to see it come to fruition. It’s such a beautiful and calming space and was designed for both patients and their families,” Nichols said. “We do everything with the intention of improving the quality of living in our community.
With 12 rooms all facing the river, the Ernestine M. Raclin House is one-of-a-kind. Craig Harrell, Director of Marketing and Access, wants the community to know that this was built for them, with both patients and families in mind. Providing families such a beautiful place to gather during their loved one’s stay is unique, and Center for Hospice Care wants the community to think of the facility as a resource for those who are dealing with critical end-of-life issues.
“This building was funded by community donations, so of course, we want to show them how their money has been invested in providing care for area residents,” Harrell said. “We’re familiar with what is in our service area and around the U.S., and this is a unique type of setting. We’re very excited to introduce it to the community.”
One community member and Center for Hospice Care volunteer, Paul Piller, has been a home visit volunteer for about two years and loves every second of it. In the past, he worked with someone from Hospice Foundation who told him that once he retires, she had something for him to do. And so, his journey with Center for Hospice Care began.
“This is wonderful. It’s nice to finally see this facility. It’s really gorgeous and is going to be very beneficial for patients and even more for their families. Patients aren’t going to remember a lot of what happens here, but families will,” Piller said. “I love the spaciousness and comfort that shows in just about every place around here, and that the patients are going to be able to look out at the river.”
Woodward and Evelyn Bowers stopped by to tour the new facility after watching it being built over the last several months. Both were happy to be touring the rooms.
“What’s most important about this facility is that it’s really for the families,” Woodward said. “It’s beautiful, the rooms are very peaceful and restful.”
“It’s great to have an organization that cares so much about the community,” Evelyn said. “We need that in our community. There are a lot of people who need something like this.”
The Ernestine M. Raclin House is located at 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, along the banks of the St. Joseph River. For information on hospice services and other campus amenities, visit Center for Hospice Care online at https://www.cfhcare.org/.
For more photos and coverage of the new facility, check out our sneak peak story from November here: https://nwi.life/article/hospice-foundation-dedicates-ernestine-m-raclin-house/
Join Center for Hospice Care President/CEO Mark Murray for a quick video session where he details how community partnerships were a big part of making the Raclin House happen: https://nwi.life/video/leadership-life-mark-murray-the-value-of-community-partnerships/
