Hospice of Northeast Missouri Celebrating Milestone

In 1993, a group of community volunteers, led by founding board president Dr. Ron Gaber, began the process of creating the non-profit Hospice 2000. In 1994 that organization became a reality when they were able to hire their first full-time administrator and nurse case manager. They had a goal of serving 50 patients a year in the 30-mile radius of Kirksville. Today that same organization, now known as Hospice of Northeast Missouri, serves over 200 patients a year in the counties of Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Macon, Putnam, Schuyler, Scotland, Sullivan and Shelby.
When asked about the early success of Hospice 2000, Gaber pointed to the early commitment of ATSU-KCOM. They supported volunteer staff involvement, complimentary office facilities, and professional grant writers.  One such grant writer was Gaylah Sublette, who now serves as the interim president of the ATSU Missouri campus. In 1994 Sublette was the lead author and director of grants and program development at KCOM and she helped secure a three-year grant by the Department of Health and Human Services for over a half a million dollars. Community support was a huge part of the organization’s early success and when the grant was submitted it contained over 100 local signatures of endorsement and support.
Hospice 2000 changed their name to Hospice of Northeast Missouri in 2004 to better reflect the geographic location of the organization and the area it serves.  On January 1, 2022, Hospice of Northeast Missouri joined forces with Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, also a non-profit, to assist in providing expanded resources and to ensure continued quality end of life care throughout Northeast Missouri.
Hospice of Northeast Missouri’s milestone celebration coincides with thousands of hospice providers celebrating November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
Hospice of Northeast Missouri, a partner agency of the United Way of Northeast Missouri, takes great pride in providing comprehensive services as one of the few non-profit hospice agencies serving Northeast Missouri. For more information call 660-627-9711 or visit hospiceofnortheastmissouri.org.