Pompia The Pueblo Chieftain
While the mission remains the same, a new name and location signal the start of a new era for Sangre de Cristo Hospice and Palliative Care.
The rebranding as Sangre de Cristo Community Care (hospice, palliative, home health) corresponds to the upcoming relocation of the administration offices — currently occupying separate South Side buildings — to a 16,000-square-foot, two-story building at 1920 Valley Drive.
To help prepare the vacant structure for occupancy, a $1.2 million building campaign was launched a year ago.
With the Valley Drive property currently being renovated in anticipation of an early 2020 opening, an assembly of donors and community supporters were given a hard-hat tour of the non-profit organization’s near-future home Tuesday.
“As our business lines expand, it’s easier to have a central hub for all administrative staff, as well as some of the remote staff that need additional space to communicate with the care team,” explained Trysten Garcia, a spokesman for the hospice. “Organization wide, we have 250 employees, and in Pueblo alone, just over 150.
“With our medical staff to stay with patients at the Joni Fair Hospice House (on Pueblo Boulevard Way), we will move the rest of Pueblo staff, including everyone associated with home care, here.”
Tarrah Lowry, CEO of Sangre de Cristo Community Care, told tour takers the operation has simply outgrown its current arrangement.
“Sometimes we have up to five or six people in an office built for two or three,” she said. “As we’ve expanded our services throughout new areas of Southern Colorado, that comes with more back office work that has to be done, as well as more compliance and oversight.
“So our team has grown as we’ve expanded, and we don’t have enough space for everyone. About four years ago, we started on our journey of ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a bigger office,’ and luckily, this building became available.”
Lowry said the rebranding is more reflective of the scope of services offered.
“We found our name doesn’t quite cover everything that we’re doing,” she offered. “We have decided that Sangre de Cristo Hospice and Palliative Care is falling under our larger umbrella of Sangre de Cristo Community Care.”
The new location will host a kitchen and in turn, “Cooking for One” courses for those who have lost a loved one, as well as bereavement counseling offices and “community space.”
“Even now, we have a lot of non-profits that reach out to us for a larger room to hold a meeting,” Lowry said. “And we don’t have the space right now. But in this new building, we have several conference rooms: enough for them to come over and use our space, free of charge.”
Through sponsorship, one of the building’s conference rooms now bears the name of the Rawlings Foundation, with naming rights available for additional spots.
To learn of donor and sponsorship opportunities, contact Trysten Garcia at 542-0032.
