Hospice to establish foundation, names new leader

SARASOTA — Tidewell Hospice plans to establish a Tidewell Foundation.

The foundation will allow Tidewell to better position itself for increasing fundraising efforts to support Tidewell’s mission, according to a press release. 

The Tidewell Foundation will be a separate nonprofit with the sole mission of supporting Tidewell and its related entities, the release adds. Tidewell has sister companies under the Stratum Health family of services that provide home health care, skilled nursing services, companion care and support, physician home care services and palliative care.

The planned launch date of the foundation is July 1, the release states. 

The nonprofit hospice has been substantially donor supported each year to pay for annual costs of offering charity care, patient services such as pet therapy, music and art therapies, and community and patient grief supportive counseling and veterans services.

Tidewell, one of the largest hospice care centers in the region, also named its recently hired Executive Vice President/Chief Philanthropy Officer Debbie Mason to serve as the Tidewell Foundation president. Mason, who recently relocated to Florida to join Tidewell, previously served as president and CEO of a health care foundation in California. Prior to that, she served as CEO of a mid-size Florida United Way and as an executive vice president/chief development and brand officer of a large Florida United Way.

“Debbie brings a wealth of relevant professional experience to lead the foundation,” says Tidewell President and CEO Jonathan Fleece in the statement.“We are delighted to have her championing our efforts to establish and lead the new Tidewell Foundation.”

Tidewell serves more than 1,100 patients daily. It provides services in patients’ homes, adult and retired living venues, local hospitals and in the 84 beds within the eight hospice house locations and a new inpatient unit in Venice Regional Bayfront Health.