By Bill Wertman, CEO, Big Bend Hospice
When families are faced with a serious illness, they are often asked to make important decisions quickly. Which treatment path should we pursue? Who can help us navigate the journey ahead? And when the time comes, who can we trust to provide compassionate care for our loved one?
Those are deeply personal decisions. They are also some of the most important decisions a family will ever make.
That is why trust matters so much in hospice care.
For more than 40 years, Big Bend Hospice has been part of this community. We were founded by local residents who saw a need for compassionate end-of-life care and believed our neighbors deserved something better. Since then, we have cared for generations of families across the Big Bend, often serving grandparents, parents, and eventually the children who once stood at the bedside of their own loved ones.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident.
It is built one relationship at a time. One patient at a time. One family at a time.
Over the years, healthcare has changed dramatically. New providers have entered the market. Healthcare systems have grown larger. Services have expanded. Through it all, one thing has remained constant at Big Bend Hospice: our commitment to serving this community with integrity.
As a nonprofit organization, our focus has never been on shareholders or investors. Our responsibility is to the patients, families, and communities we serve. Every decision we make is guided by that mission.
When families choose a hospice provider, they are placing an extraordinary amount of trust in that organization. They are inviting caregivers into their homes during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. They are relying on that provider to deliver not only clinical expertise, but compassion, honesty, and support.
That trust must be earned.
It is earned through experienced clinicians who show up when they say they will. Through social workers and chaplains who take the time to listen. Through volunteers who sit with patients so family members can rest. Through grief counselors who continue supporting loved ones long after a loss.
Most importantly, it is earned by being present in the community long before someone ever needs hospice care.
One of the things I am most proud of is that Big Bend Hospice is woven into the fabric of this region. Our employees live here. Our volunteers live here. Our board members live here. The families we care for are our neighbors. We see them at church, in local businesses, at community events, and in our children’s schools.
That local connection creates accountability.
It means we are not simply providing a service. We are caring for people we know and communities we love.
It also means that when needs arise, we respond. Whether it’s supporting rural communities after a natural disaster, expanding services into underserved areas, offering grief support to local families, or creating innovative programs that meet emerging needs, our commitment extends far beyond the bedside.
At Big Bend Hospice, we often talk about going Beyond Hospice. To me, that means being a trusted community partner in every sense of the word.
As healthcare continues to evolve, families will continue to have choices. And choice is important. But when evaluating those choices, I encourage people to look beyond the brochure or the website. Ask questions. Learn about the organization’s history. Understand who they are accountable to and how they invest in the communities they serve.
Because hospice care is about more than services. It’s about trust. And trust is something that must be earned every day.
For more than four decades, that is exactly what Big Bend Hospice has worked to do.