Alive Hospice held a ceremonial groundbreaking for The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro on Wednesday (8/17/16). The event was at the site of their future home behind Murfreesboro Medical Clinic on Williams Drive.

President and CEO of Alive Hospice Anna-Gene O'Neal said that they have almost raised enough money to completely pay for the new building...

Dr. Warren McPherson who is on the campaign steering committee said that the future residence is needed...

Co-chair Lynn Lien said that her father passed away at an Alive Hospice facility after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer...

Alive Hospice plans to hold a grand opening celebration and begin admitting patients to The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro in mid-2017.

More Details on The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro:

Alive Hospice has raised over 95 percent of its $8.1+ million fundraising goal with the generous support of donors including the Christy-Houston Foundation, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, Trustpoint Hospital, HCA Foundation, Mark A. Pirtle, Dr. Elizabeth Hay Rhea and many others. Major donors will be recognized at the event. During the community-wide phase of the fundraising campaign, Alive Hospice hopes to raise the last $300,000 by the agency's 41st anniversary on Nov. 14, 2016.

"The community has asked for this facility, and it would not be possible without the support of so many who have given and worked to make it a reality," said Alive Hospice President and CEO Anna-Gene O'Neal. "As we work toward a successful completion of our fundraising campaign, we are asking everyone who believes in the mission of Alive Hospice to contribute what they can. You will be part of building The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro in a tangible way, and we are asking for your support."

Alive Hospice is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit health care organization that provides more mission-focused charity care than any other hospice in Tennessee, offering care and services for all who need them regardless of their ability to pay.

Alive Hospice plans to hold a grand opening celebration and begin admitting patients to The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro in mid-2017. The facility's completion will expand Alive Hospice's services in the area by providing inpatient adult and pediatric hospice care, and respite and residential hospice care for the region.

While most (90 percent) of the hospice care provided by Alive Hospice is in private homes, the 20,000-plus-square-foot, free-standing hospice residence will offer a peaceful environment for people with life-limiting illnesses in need of hospice care which can not otherwise be provided in the home. Friends and families will have an option much closer to home, eliminating the need to commute to Alive Hospice's Nashville residence.

The Murfreesboro residence will also allow Alive to expand its community services such as grief counseling and education about the end of life. Alive will increase its grief counseling staff in Murfreesboro to provide support for grieving adults and children, and the facility will have space designated for educational programming to help families learn about - and take an active role in planning for - the end of life.

Champions For Alive Hospice

Pillars of Rutherford County have worked several years to make this new facility a reality under the leadership of Lynn Lien and Dr. Warren McPherson, co-chairs of the Alive Hospice Murfreesboro Advisory Committee, as well as committee members Leslie Akins, Rita Ash, Phil Barnett, Sydney Boerner, Lou Caputo, Gordon Ferguson, Dr. Max Moss, Kitty Murfree, Dr. Jim Nunnery, Joey Peay, Mark Pirtle, Shane Reeves, Dr. Liz Rhea, Kathy Ryan, Joyce Taylor, Don Witherspoon, Hanna Witherspoon and Dr. John Zubkus.

Fact and Figures: The Residence at Alive Hospice - Murfreesboro

• Architect: Earl Swensson Associates
• General Contractor: Turner Construction
• Square footage: 20,000+ square feet of space dedicated to hospice care and grief support
• Freestanding, single-story building
• Facility will eliminate long commutes to and from Nashville
• 10 large patient rooms with immediate ability to expand to 16 rooms with minimal expense (although still requiring Certificate of Need approval from the State of Tennessee for additional rooms)
• Covered entryway
• Commercial kitchen and dining room
• Picturesque courtyard
• Family gathering rooms
• Quiet space
• Skylights (to let in plenty of natural light)
• Expanded grief support center
• 1,000 square feet of community space for events