Programs Chair Katha Danz introduced our speaker. She is Dr. Marlene von Friederichs-Fitzwater, who has a remarkable record in the health care field in the Sacramento Area and has won many awards and she is also a Rotarian. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Joshua's House Hospice, the first hospice house for terminally ill homeless men and women on the West Coast. It is the ninth such organization in the country and is slated to open in Sacramento in early 2022. The plight of the homeless, which is a growing problem all over the country and in Sacramento has been of interest to Dr. Fitzwater for many years, and especially when her own close grandson, Joshua Lee became homeless and died young in 2014. Dr. Fitzwater gave a detailed slide presentation which I have chosen to include in this bulletin, because it is informative and illustrative of the subject of homelessness. |
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Dr. Fitzwater noted that since covid has happened, the Sacramento population of homeless have increased in a major way over the numbers portrayed above. |
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| Dr. Fitzwater said that there is new training of specialized hospice nurses, doulas, a new program who will take on the needs of the dying homeless persons, 10 of them. Below is information about the Health Communication Research Institute, established in 1989 which Dr. Fitzwater in also the founder and Executive Director. See below: |
About HCRI, Inc. Established in 1989 with a commitment to reduce health disparities through community-based research and program development. In 2015, HCRI, Inc. narrowed its focus to better understanding the healthcare needs of the homeless population; developing programs to address those needs; and creating Joshua’s House, a hospice house for the terminally ill homeless.501(c)(3) Tax ID: 68-0195121 – United Way Nonprofit Code: Org 7371 Contact UsJoshua’s House Hospice 5025 J Street Phone : 916-502-0946 |
President Thorman eagerly jumped at the chance of informing Dr. Fitzwater that a book, in her honor, will be donated to the Carmichael Library (subsidiary of the Sacramento Public Library). |
