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Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland Donates $1,000 to Hanson Hospice Center
Jul 1, 2015

Photo Information: Mary Damaske (far left), Manager of the Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center, receives the donation from Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland team members Maryanna “Cookie” Hart and Tim Van Antwerp.

(ST. JOSEPH) – Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland has donated $1,000 to Hospice at Home, a Lakeland Health Affiliate, to help provide charity room and board for those needing end-of-life services at the Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center.

The $1,000 award was provided through VGM Insurance Services, surety bond provider of Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland. A 100-year-old company, Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland operates four retail locations throughout southwest Michigan and offers a broad line of products, including oxygen and sleep therapy equipment, electric hospital beds, wheelchairs, and bathroom safety equipment. Based in Waterloo, Iowa, VGM Insurance is celebrating 25 years in business by donating $25,000 in $1,000 increments to charities nominated by its insured companies, affiliated companies, and insurance agencies.

Maryanna “Cookie” Hart, Accounts Receivable Coordinator at Van’s Medical Equipment of Lakeland, submitted the nomination to VGM Insurance to show her appreciation of the care her sister received at the Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center during the final week of her life.

“The Hanson Hospice Center is truly a home—it smells like a home, looks like a home, feels like a home,” Cookie said. “It is a wonderfully amazing, safe, secure, and calm environment for those in the final stages of their life and their families.”

Since the facility opened its doors in December of 2013, more than 580 patients and their families have come to the Hanson Hospice Center for end-of-life care, which is designed to meet their unique medical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

“You couldn’t ask for a better honor than for a family member of a patient to take the time to nominate us for this recognition,” said Mary Damaske, Manager of the Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center. “It’s a wonderful tribute to the team that we have and the work that we do, and it demonstrates that we’re not just touching the lives of our patients, but also their families.”

For more information about the Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center and Hospice at Home, visit www.hospiceathomecares.org