We Honor Veterans

Hospice professionals across the country focus on a single purpose: to provide comfort and support at the end of life.  That’s why Rockbridge Area Hospice is on a mission to learn how to serve veterans through the challenges they may be facing from illness, isolation or traumatic life experience. While our mission may be straightforward, fulfilling it is anything but simple, as each patient has a unique life story and a unique set of needs.  And when it comes to the needs of America’s veterans, if we are unprepared, our mission can be challenged or even made impossible.By recognizing their unique needs, we can learn how to accompany and guide America’s veterans and their families through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.

The We Honor Veterans program teaches respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgement and is equipping the Rockbridge Area Hospice clinical team to comfort hospice patients with a history of military service with possible physical or psychological trauma as they face end of life.

Currently there are over 4,500 hospice partners enrolled in the national We Honor Veterans program, only 809 are a "Level 4 partner".  Rockbridge Area Hospice became the 89th hospice to achieve Level IV of the WHV program, the highest level in the program. In Virginia, there are 147 We Honor Veterans partners, only 25 are a level IV. Rockbridge Area Hospice achieved this status level in less than two years. To date, Rockbridge Area Hospice has served 246 local veterans through the We Honor Veterans program.