Coastal Hospice Announces Survivor Outreach Bereavement Services (SOBS) Program

Salisbury, MD – November 1, 2023 – Coastal Hospice now offers grief support to family and friends of loved ones who have lost their lives due to an overdose death. This is a FREE program, focused on providing grief support and resources to the four counties we serve, whether or not you were supported by Coastal Hospice directly.
Alvin Harmon, SOBS Program Coordinator explained, “With this program, families from the four counties we serve will be able to receive specialized grief support for the loss of a loved one related to an overdose death. Alvin adds, “When a death of this nature happens in a family, it is often sudden, traumatic, and can be surrounded by stigma for survivors. Our goal is to provide them with a safe space to process these losses and offer them resources to help them develop coping skills to deal with grief.”

Coastal Hospice Bereavement Counselors are available to provide:

• Up to 3-sessions of private grief counseling
• Grief support groups
• Information about ongoing support and resources
• Referrals to treatment, recovery, and/or harm reduction resources
• Referrals to long-term peer-based, local grief support
• Follow up with the family to coordinate support and resources
• Compassion fatigue and sensitivity training
• Mental health provider education 

This program is made possible by The Maryland Opioid Operational Command Center in partnership with Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties’ Health Departments.

To learn more about SOBS, please visit www.coastalhospice.org or contact, Alvin Harmon, Director of Spiritual, Bereavement, and Supportive Services by email, aharmon@coastalhospice.org or by phone, 410-742-8732 ext. 440.

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About Coastal Hospice Founded in 1980, Coastal Hospice is a nonprofit health care organization that cares for individuals facing life-limiting conditions but who want to remain as active and engaged as possible. Coastal Hospice cares for patients in their home, assisted living, nursing home, Coastal Hospice at the Lake or the Macky & Pam Stansell House. The organization serves Wicomico, Worcester, Dorchester, and Somerset counties. To learn more about Coastal Hospice, please visit www.coastalhospice.org

About the Opioid Operational Command Center The Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC) serves as the primary coordinating office for the state’s response to the opioid and overdose crisis.

Supported by the Opioid Operational Command Center. The views presented here are those of the grantee organization and not necessarily those of the OOCC, its Executive Director, or its staff.

Contact Information
General Contact:  Alvin Harmon, Director of Spiritual, Bereavement, and Supportive Services
410-742-8732 X440 | aharmon@coastalhospice.org
 
Media Contact: Alejandra Lazcano, Director of Communications | 410-742-8732 ext. 541
alazcano@coastalhospice.org