Page 3 - Dresden Buzz 10/31/2025

OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 13, 2025 LOCAL NEWS | PAGE 3
Groundbreaking ceremony held for Genesis Hospice Care

facilty, Straker Hospice House BY LYNETTE DOTSON | DRESDEN BUZZ

Pictured from left to right are Kelly Ashby, Executive Director, Genesis HealthCare Foundation; Scott Wegner, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Genesis HealthCare System; Sister Marlita Henseler, Community Director,
Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity; Matt Perry, President & CEO; Genesis HealthCare System; Susan Holdren, President & Executive Director, J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation; Don Mason, Mayor,
City of Zanesville; Erin Remster, D.O., Medical Director, Genesis Hospice Care & Palliative Medicine; and Pebbles Kieber, Director, Genesis Cancer, Palliative Medicine & Hospice Services.. Lynette Dotson
On October 21, 2025, a groundbreak- speaks to us because it’s a major gift.
ing ceremony was held at the future site It’s the kind of gift that our whole board
of the J.W. & M.H. Straker Foundation has to vote on. ... It took a lot of organi-
Hospice House. Upon opening in the fall zation to get us all together to vote. But
of 2026, The Genesis inpatient facility it’s a brick-and-mortar project, and so
will give compassionate end-of-life care that is very high on our list. And it’s also
to people in the community who need it. something that touches so many people
Representatives from Genesis Health- in so many different areas of life. So
Care System and Genesis Hospice Care, those are the kinds of projects that re-
among others, spoke at the ground- ally make us want to give, explained Su-
b r ea ki n g san Holdren,
ceremony to Pre side nt
a crowd that and Execu-
came in sup- tive Director
port of the of the J.W. &
new facility M.H. Straker
despite the Charitable
rainy weath- Foundation.
er. The
“So, this Morrison
is a facil- House, the
ity that does current Gen-
not support esis Hospice
itself finan- Care inpa-
cially, and tient facility,
the only way has served
we would the commu-
be able to nity for over
have this service for our community is 35 years, but is in dire need of replace-
through the generosity of so many peo- ment.
ple who are sitting in the audience to- “A couple of months ago, we had to
day. And it’s something that, in fact, that have periodic inspections of our build-
we’ve raised literally all the money that ing, with the roof and all the supports
we need to start this facility, just kind of that we put in it to get it to last for us.
shows how deeply connected and rooted And our engineer did his normal inspec-
it is,” stated Perry, President and CEO of tion and came to let us know that this
Genesis HealthCare System. will be the last winter that he can certify
Generous donations amounting to that building for occupancy. So, it was
more than $6.9 million from commu- very good timing that we already had all
nity organizations and individuals dur- of this in the works, because otherwise,
ing a $7.4 million capital campaign, as we would have been in a very different
well as a naming donation from the J.W. position,” Pebbles Kieber, Director for
& M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation, Cancer, Palliative Medicine and Hospice
have made construction of the new fa-
cility possible.
“This is the kind of project that really CONTINUED ON PAGE 5