Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice

Samaritan, founded in 1980 by grassroots volunteers, is South Jersey’s first – and largest – hospice organization. Forty years ago in a house in Moorestown, NJ, a half dozen dedicated humanitarians convened with passion in their hearts and a hefty goal to bring comfort at the end of life to all the members of this community. Samaritan’s headquarters eventually moved to Mount Laurel and its services expanded to include the Samaritan Center for Grief Support and Transitions  program. Samaritan also extended its service area to Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties. The organization then added complementary therapies as an integral part of its hospice care program, a specialized program for veterans, an initiative to engage in conversations about your healthcare wishes, a palliative medicine specialty practice, and two inpatient hospice centers (Mount Holly and Voorhees) to better serve the patients and families in our community. In 2020, the organization moved it’s home base to Mount Laurel and further expanded its services to include primary care at home. 

Samaritan hospice care can help you or someone you care about live more comfortably during serious illness and at the end of life. Hospice care is quality, compassionate care that means you are getting help, not giving up. Samaritan’s palliative care program relieves pain from serious illness and alleviates the side effects from treatments. Palliative care physicians and nurses work with you to identify your goals, including symptom relief, counseling, spiritual comfort, or whatever you feel will enhance your quality of life.

In the 1960’s the modern concept of hospice began as a volunteer movement. Although hospices have grown to include paid staff members from many disciplines, volunteers continue to play a heartfelt and integral role in the good work of hospice. Hospice volunteers have diverse opportunities to share their time and talents, whether it’s in a patient’s home, in the office, or in the community. Some volunteers visit patients to offer companionship. Other volunteers help in the office with administrative tasks such as data entry and filing. Volunteers also greet guests at The Samaritan Center at Voorhees, assist at our thrift store, or serve on a committee. Hospice volunteers can serve as music performers or visit patients with their already-certified pet therapy dog too!