About Gilchrist

The Gilchrist mission is to provide quality compassionate care, counseling and support to people at every stage of serious illness so they may live life to the fullest. A nationally recognized nonprofit leader in serious-illness and end-of-life care, Gilchrist is deeply committed to giving people the loving support and clear information they need to make informed choices about their care.

Gilchrist Hospice cares for over 1,000 Howard County residents each year and thousands more of their loved one. Gilchrist provides this care in any setting: at home, in residential care communities, or at our inpatient centers in Towson, Columbia and Baltimore City.

Gilchrist Center Howard County, our ten-bed inpatient center, provides exceptional round-the-clock care for our patients and a strong network of support for their families. It is the only inpatient hospice center serving the residents of Howard County. Admissions to the center are up 33% this fiscal year of 2018 compared to last year.

Because reimbursement for inpatient hospice care does not cover all expenses—and because Gilchrist serves all patients, regardless of ability to pay—generous community support helps to ensure this vital service remains.

Jamie Lynch, CFRE
Director of Development
Gilchrist Hospice Care, Inc.

A Little Bit About Us

Our community suffered a huge loss when Paul J. Kelley, Jr. died in June of 2009. As an active member of the River Hill community, Paul coached hockey, announced local football games, supported the Jim O'Malley Charitable Foundation, volunteered at church and did countless things for others. He is sorely missed by all who knew him. Paul gave generously of his time and resources to help others.

The Paul J. Kelley, Jr. Charitable Foundation was founded in 2010 by Family and Friends of Paul to honor his memory and to support Gilchrist Center Howard County.

All of the net proceeds from this foundation will be donated to Gilchrist Center in Paul's name to support Howard County's inpatient unit. This 10-room unit, known as "Gilchrist Center Howard County," is located within a health complex that specializes in care for seniors and features superior end of life care within a home-like setting.

The Paul J. Kelley, Jr. Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Tax ID 27-1619384

A Note From Shel Kelley

In 2009 my husband, Paul Kelley, lost his battle with melanoma.

He was at Gilchrist Hospice in Towson when he died, cared for by amazing nurses, social workers and aides. During his eight days there, they kept him comfortable and allowed him to maintain his dignity, but perhaps just as importantly, they guided us—his family and friends—along this new, frightening and uncertain path our lives had been forced to take.

Those eight days at Gilchrist Hospice are still vivid in my mind. I remember driving to Towson from our Clarksville home every morning, and staying late into the night. I remember our wonderful family and friends who made the same drive and crowded into Paul's room each day to say both hello and goodbye. At Gilchrist Hospice, he could still be Paul Kelley, the hockey coach, the father, the strong one—and not just Paul Kelley, the patient.

I remember that Paul was so well cared for at Gilchrist Hospice that he had the time and energy to focus on the most mundane of worries—whether I had remembered to take out the trash, whether the lawn had been mowed, and whether his beloved dog Molly was OK.

I also remember something interesting that Paul said to me on the ambulance ride from our home to Towson on that first day. As we were making the long drive from Western Howard County to northern Baltimore County, he kept asking, "Why don't they have a place in Howard County?"

And now we do. I have seen Gilchrist Center Howard County and it is beautiful. Walking through the halls, I get the same sense of home and comfort that I felt walking the halls of Gilchrist Hospice in Towson. It is the same professional care closer to home.

I want to say thank you, again, to Gilchrist for providing the best possible care for Paul during his last days and for helping us, his family and friends, to cherish those last moments with him. Thank you for answering his question with Gilchrist Center Howard County.

—Shel Kelley