The Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads was a vision 10 years in the making. That takes real dedication!
It began in 2015 when two local families who traveled out of state to accompany loved ones in their final days of in-patient hospice care became aware of the absence of such services in the region. Community leaders, moved by their experience, worked together to launch what would become the Hospice House initiative.
Dr. Ronald Dozoretz and his family made a transformational lead gift; the City of Virginia Beach donated a beautiful lakeside site; and with the generosity of donors, partners, and volunteers, a campaign raised $10.7 million from 738 donors.
As a pioneer in mental health care, Dr. Ronald Dozoretz was known for identifying and addressing unmet community needs. When he recognized Hampton Roads’ lack of in-patient hospice beds, he and his family stepped up to support this critical community need for comfort care.
The doors opened in 2024, and the Hospice House serves as a cornerstone of the regional hospice care continuum, partnering with 18 home hospice agencies in a region that for decades had faced a critical gap in its healthcare system.
Now with almost two years of operating success, this past CapDev client is a beacon of success, an example of persistence and the learning curve of a community to respond. The Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads stands as the region’s first nonprofit hospice house.
As always in our campaigns, it’s the people behind the campaign who make the difference and are the real story. Hospice House visionaries include Hugh Patterson, Barbara & Ben Unkle, Shari Dozoretz Friedman, Jane Batten, Alvin Wall, Dr. Paul Schellhammer, Chick Robison, Jim Spore, and more.
As stated in a recent report shared with supporters, “the Hospice House is not simply a building; it is a promise kept, a need met, and a testament to what a caring community can accomplish together.”
Further, the report states: “The first decade reflects a promise kept. The decades ahead will build upon that foundation.” As CapDev clients complete significant campaigns and move into operations, they build development programs that maintain and strengthen donor relationships, often again making use of CapDev philanthropy services to grow further into their charitable sustainability.
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