Honoring Dr. Gerald Holman with the dedication of our Inpatient Residence

On May 23, 2012, Hospice Care of the Southwest hosted a reception, ribbon cutting and open house to dedicate its Inpatient Residence area to Dr. Gerald Holman. Members of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce were on hand for the ribbon cutting and the room was filled with family and many friends.

Helen Miller, Director of Professional Services for Hospice Care of the Southwest and one of the founding employees, made the following comments to the assembled crowd.

Dr. Holman was instrumental in starting hospice care in Amarillo during the early 80s. He changed the way people in our community were dying—offering them comfort, dignity, and making the process less lonely. In 1988, Dr. Holman and another well-known hospice physician founded the Academy of Hospice Physicians which later became the National Certification Board for hospice and palliative care. Dr. Holman continually increased his hospice knowledge on state and national levels and was sought after as a presenter across the country.

When Hospice Care of the Southwest began seven years ago, we were encouraged and blessed by the fact that Dr. Holman interrupted his retirement to help and guide us. In an e-mail he sent me during those start-up moments, he wrote: Thank God that the true flame of hospice, so carefully nurtured, will not be extinguished in Amarillo.” As he helped us develop our mission statement, Dr. Holman was adamant that we would provide care to patients and families by “Applying the Science of Comfort with the Art of Caring.”