Good Shepherd Hospice will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Bethany Center for Grieving Children in Lakeland on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 10 a.m. at 3470 Lakeland Hills Boulevard.

The Bethany Center for Grieving Children, with locations in Auburndale and Sebring, provides counseling, hope and healing free of charge for all children and families who grieve the loss of a loved one. Experienced grief counselors and trained volunteers guide children and families through the grief process.

The Bethany Center is named after Bethany Ann Traviesa, a wife and mother. The center began its services with one grief counselor in 1991 in Dixieland, following Traviesa’s death. It steadily grew and became part of Good Shepherd Hospice in 2001. It left Lakeland to become part of the hospice’s Auburndale facility. Its return to Lakeland represents the culmination of an extensive fundraising campaign totaling approximately $550,000 and

The new Bethany Center in Lakeland features a range of interactive resources for children including but not limited to:

• An expressive art studio filled with an array of art materials for children to use for free expression.
• A play therapy room, complete with a state-of-the-art interactive sandbox, play kitchen and other amenities that enable children to play and engage with one another in a safe environment.
• An interactive gaming floor that encourages sports, games and physical activity to reduce stress, tension, anxiety and depression.

About Good Shepherd Hospice

Good Shepherd Hospice, an affiliate of Chapters Health System, is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that supports more than 4,200 patients each year in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties as they face the challenges of advancing age and illness. Since 2008, the organization has been accredited by The Joint Commission, the nation’s premier healthcare accrediting body.

About Chapters Health Foundation

Chapters Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization committed to supporting Chapters Health System, a progressive leader in home health, palliative care, hospice, and grief support. Chapters Health Foundation provides more than $7.4 million annually to help offset the accumulated costs of unfunded and underfunded programming including but not limited to charity care, helping to meet the needs of patients and families who cannot afford hospice services. Chapters Health Foundation also provides $1.3 million in funding for the provision of grief support across Chapters Health and in 2020, provided more than $1 million to assist with underfunded pediatric and adult palliative care services.

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Contact:

Austin Mudd

Media Relations Specialist

Chapters Health System

[email protected]

P: 813-871-8327; C: 813-310-4690