By Susan Tolley

Staff reporter

DOBSON — It was with much anticipation that the Joan and Howard Woltz Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care facility— a state-of-the-art facility — opened Wednesday, beginning with an 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.

As guests arrived at the facility, located at 945 Zephyr Road, they were greeted by a roadside sign bearing the name of the facility. Atop the sign a heart-shaped logo, an appropriate symbol for the warmth that was felt at the ribbon cutting.

Hundreds of volunteers, staff members, media representatives, supporters, officials and dignitaries from surrounding communities were on hand to witness the grand opening of this first-ever such home in its service area. Its site was selected, in part, because of its easy access from Interstate 77, U.S. 601 and N.C. 268.

Denise Watson, Executive Director of Mountain Valley Hospice was overjoyed as she welcomed the crowd and thanked the board members, staff, volunteers as well as the Woltz family.

“I stand here today almost having to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming,” she said. “Since we began this process, our goal was to provide a facility for the entire family; one that would include spiritual, emotional, and physical support. This facility and especially the staff will make a significant positive impact for the end-of-life experience.”

The hospice home was built in response to a critical need for a centrally located facility that would serve communities in this region and southern Virginia. As visitors began their tour, they were welcomed into a large, open, living room with a rock fireplace. Watson spoke of the home’s environment with pride,

“We need to take people to a place where they can feel at home during this time in their lives. This home is designed with enough room to have visitors in the suites without feeling crowded,” she said. “It’s a place of peace where patients and their family members are treated with dignity and their wishes are honored.”

Even the location of the home reflects a down-home atmosphere.

Dr. Glenn Golaszewski, or “Dr. G” as he prefers to be known, Director of Medical Services, commented on the location.

“The setting around the home will provide comfort to the patients. Most of them enjoy the country and farmland, which in many cases, is similar to where they grew up,” he said. “It’s the way they came into and grew up in this world and will be a comforting way to leave it,” said Dr. G.

Since 2007, Dr. G. has served as Mountain Valley Hospice’s part-time medical director. Prior to that he was a physician/partner at Elkin Pediatric and Adult Medicine for seven years. Dr. G is honored and excited to be part of the staff. He spoke of how quality of life would be of utmost importance at the home.

“This is an open access home which means we’ll do whatever it takes to keep the patients comfortable. Many people, including some in the medical field, are inclined to tell patients there’s nothing more we can do for them but there is much we can do. We can encourage them, keep them comfortable and help them fight their illness ‘together,’” said Dr. G.

The Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice home staff will be ready to receive patients in about a month, once the licensing process has been completed.

About the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice

The hospice is a nonprofit organization serving the terminally ill. The facility is named in honor of the two long-time husband and wife volunteers from Mount Airy. The home has the ability to serve more than 600 patients a year and will employ approximately 50 people.

The home features 20 patient suites with ceiling fans and outdoor patios. A children’s playroom, theater, a 1950- style soda shop, spa and meditation garden are some of the amenities. There are RV hookups for out-of-town family members.

When fully operational, it will allow pet visitations and there will be no restricted visiting hours. While Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care serves 13 counties (Surry, Yadkin, Stokes, Wilkes, Alleghany, Forsyth, Davie, Grayson, Carroll, Patrick, Wythe, Floyd, Pulaski and the town of Galax, Va.), Surry County residents are given first preference when considering patient enrollment.

To learn more, call 789-2922; the toll-free number is (888) 789-2922. Its website is: www.mtnvalleyhospice.org.

Ways you can help

The first phase of the project involved researching how to raise the funds needed. Next came the capital campaign, which started in May 2006. Mountain Valley Hospice is now more than halfway toward reaching its goal of $5 million needed to cover the costs of the home. The remaining funds will be raised through grants, donations and a brick campaign.

If you would like to honor or preserve the name of a loved, a personalized brick paver or granite block can be purchased. Memorial bricks are $100 and Memorial granite blocks are $300. Larger memorials such as benches are available. Please contact the Mountain Valley Hospice office for more information.

The facility was named for Joan and Howard Woltz, who made made substantial contributions. In addition to them, their children and the following others made donations in their honor: Mr. and Mrs. W. Randolph Robins, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin M. Woltz, Sr., The family of C. Richard Vaughn, Ms. Louise Woltz, and Insteel Industries.