WATCH: Exclusive Interview with St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care President/CEO Joseph Killian, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Chapman

By  //  June 3, 2023

Uplifting Lives, Each Other, and Our Community

ABOVE VIDEO: Space Coast Daily’s Ron Lighthall sits down with President/CEO Joseph Killian and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Chapman to learn more about how St. Francis provides world-class palliative care.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Do you know someone with chronic health problems? St.Francis Reflections Lifestage Care is there to help.

For more than 45 years, Hospice of St. Francis has served Brevard County as a compassionate provider of hospice services.

Over time, the organization has developed expertise and services across all stages of end of life care, from pre-hospice to post-hospice.  The legacy of care established by founder Emilie Sasko and a group of volunteers in 1977, has grown to become a multi-faceted provider of care and resources for the residents of Florida’s Space Coast.

The organization’s scope of services has progressed to include a non-hospice palliative care program for individuals coping with serious illness, and a robust grief support program including extensive program offerings for both adults and children.

As a service to the community, the organization also provides large-scale community memorial services, a pet placement program for hospice patients, and specialized programming in support of the large population of veterans.

In honor of their legacy, and to inspire their future, they have carefully chosen the name St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care as a reflection of the broad scope of compassionate care, service and commitment to the community.

As they uplifted the lives of so many in so many different stages of life, St. Francis’ leadership came to realize that the name, Hospice of St. Francis, was not fully reflective of the broad scope of services offered.

When the St. Francis leadership explored new names, they found that Hospice of St. Francis had earned a great reputation in the community, and was highly regarded for its compassionate approach.

From focus groups to online surveys, their staff and their community told them that St. Francis was a brand that resonated with their mission: Uplifting Lives. Uplifting Each Other. Uplifting Our Community.

Thus, the new, carefully chosen St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care is a name that reflects the organization’s legacy of care and compassion along with its present day depth of services.

The new color scheme is evocative of the natural elements in its beautiful coastal environment.

In 1977, Hospice of St. Francis was founded by Emilie Sasko, a Titusville nurse and mother of 12.

Emilie realized the need for greater comfort, understanding and compassion for people nearing the end of life.

She had a dream that she was being called to create a hospice, and supported by her deep faith, family and friends, founded the second hospice in the State of Florida. Emilie inspired others with her belief in the concept of neighbor-helping-neighbor, and Hospice of St. Francis began as an all-volunteer organization.

In 1990, Hospice of St. Francis became certified by Medicare as a not-for-profit hospice provider. With a strong corps of dedicated volunteers and a highly skilled professional staff, the organization has expanded Emilie’s mission to encompass a variety of services for individuals and families, throughout the entire 72-mile stretch of Brevard County.

Now known as St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care, they continue to care for the community as an independent, not-for-profit provider.

The scope of services includes palliative care, hospice, pediatric palliative care, and the Space Coast’s most extensive array of grief support programs. Complemented by our robust community engagement program and energetic volunteer services team, Emilie’s founding principle of neighbor-helping-neighbor is always in the forefront of our minds and our hearts.

CLICK HERE for more info on St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care

CLICK HERE FOR MORE BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

HOT OFF THE PRESS! March 29, 2021 Space Coast Daily News – Brevard County’s Best NewspaperRelated Story:
HOT OFF THE PRESS! March 29, 2021 Space Coast Daily News – Brevard County’s Best Newspaper