Compass Regional Hospice is forming a new grief support group for adults who have experienced the death of loved one to a drug overdose. RASP— Reconciling After A Substance Passing— will meet at the Compass Regional Hospice Hope & Healing Center, 255 Comet Drive in Centreville beginning Thursday, June 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This group will meet the third Thursday of each month.
RASP will be co-facilitated by Rhonda Knotts, MSCC, grief support coordinator and counselor; and Linda Turner, MS, grief counselor for Compass Regional Hospice.
This support group is open to anyone 18 and older. There is no cost to participate. Participants are welcome to drop in each month as they need support.
After the opioid crisis was declared a state of emergency in Maryland there has been an increase in enforcement, prevention, and treatment services, but those who are grieving the loss of a loved one to drug overdose may feel like they are forgotten about.
“Our own community has been tremendously affected by this epidemic and countless numbers of individuals now find themselves mourning the loss of a child, sibling, friend or loved one from a tragic overdose,” says Rhonda Knotts, grief support coordinator and counselor.
“Our team recognizes the effect that drug overdoses have had on our community and want to make sure that our community has the support and resources available to them,” says Knotts. “This support group is a safe place for individuals to come to reconcile with their loss, and find compassion and understanding from people experiencing similar grief challenges.”
For more information about the RASP support group, contact either of the facilitators Rhonda Knotts, [email protected] or Linda Turner, [email protected], 443-262-4100. Learn more about other grief support programs available through the Compass Regional Hospice Hope & Healing Center by visiting www.compassregionalhospice.org/hopeandhealing.
About the Compass Regional Hospice Hope & Healing Center
The creation of the Hope & Healing Center was the start of a strategic initiative to brand the grief support programs offered through Compass Regional Hospice. The Hope & Healing Center is recognized as a premier resource for restoring hope and healing to adults, teens and children who are coping with grief, loss and trauma in our community. These grief support programs focus on the needs of family members whose loved ones have died under our hospice care, as well as members of the community who have experienced loss. Grief support services are not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, so we depend on donations from our community in order to cover the cost of these vital services.
Much like a compass, the priorities of the Charting Our Course Together capital campaign points the way toward the future of Compass Regional Hospice. In order to meet the unmet and growing needs of our community, the existing Hope & Healing Center located at 255 Comet Drive in Centreville needs to be renovated so that we can continue to expand our grief support services. The planned renovations will create the additional space needed to accommodate new support services and healing modalities.
Every gift ensures that we continue to help your family, friends and neighbors find hope and healing as they chart their own course through grief. For more information about the Charting Our Course Together capital campaign or how you can donate, contact Kenda Leager, development officer, [email protected], 443-262-4106 or visit www.compassregionalhospice.org/otherwaystogive/campaign.html.
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