30 Years of Growth and Service
Greenville resident Joy Marchal served as director of Hospice of Darke County, now known as State of the Heart Hospice, from 1985 to 1997. Prior to that, she served as the first president of the nonprofit agency’s board of directors. She was also a volunteer and part-time registered nurse and on call nurse. It was during her tenure that State of the Heart Hospice saw significant growth, bringing hospice care to an increasing number of people.
Following Marchal’s tenure as director, Katie Wehri became the executive director, serving in that capacity for seven years. It was during her time as the CEO that State of the Heart constructed its first office building on North Broadway in Greenville, capping a successful building campaign that reflected the community’s growing appreciation for the care that State of the Heart was providing patients in western Ohio and eastern Indiana.
“Initially, it was a matter of introducing and building trust in hospice, a new concept of care,” recalled Marchal. The agency was incorporated in 1981 as a non-profit organization. Initial seed money was obtained through grants from the United Presbyterian Women’s Opportunity Giving Fund, the Miami Valley Episcopal Council and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Office of Social Action and World Peace.
Joy Marchal, past Director of State of the Heart Hospice
“In those first few years, we cared for between 26 to 40 patients” Marchal said. “When we first began each step was new, challenging, but thrilling when accomplished. The staff was small in number and close knit, so it was easier to know and work together as a team. Larger, nonprofit hospice programs gladly shared their expertise with smaller hospices.”
Today, in order to provide a continuum of care for patients, State of the Heart Hospice routinely shares patient information among the agency’s care team through electronic record keeping done on laptops. This is quite a contrast to Marchal’s time at the agency.
“All paper work was done in long hand,” Marchal explained. “There were no computers, no copiers, no fax machines. We had limited phones, no air conditioning, no cell phones and no pagers. When I left the agency in 1997, we had about 50 employees, 150 volunteers and were serving 300 families a year.” It was during Marchal’s leadership that Hospice of Darke County and Mercer County Hospice merged.
The agency had two offices at that time, one on Martz Street in Greenville, near Wayne Hospital, and the other was a rented office in Coldwater near the hospital there.
While Marchal witnessed significant growth in the program during her leadership years, the agency became poised for new growth and expansion. Today, she remains active in the community serving on several boards continuing to lend her talents as a volunteer.
Following Marchal’s retirement, Katie Wehri became executive director. She was executive director during the $1.4 million capital campaign to build the new hospice building on North Broadway in Greenville. Marchal returned to the hospice family and served as chairman for that campaign. State of the Heart was expanding, serving more patients and families. The campaign was a great success.
“This was an exciting period of time for State of the Heart, explained Wehri. “We were experiencing growth in Indiana as well and realized it was important to have an office and presence in the community. At about the same time plans were materializing for the new building, the agency rented space in an office building in Portland. This soon proved to be too small, and State of the Heart later bought a building.
Katie Wehri, past Director of State of the Heart Hospice
Wehri said that growth continued in the Indiana area served by the Portland office. More patients than ever before were being cared for out of the Portland office. In 2010, the agency purchased a building more spacious and suited to house the staff that was caring for more patients than ever before. Today, between 30 and 40 patients are served from this office location.
Back in Greenville during Wehri’s tenure as CEO, energies were trained on conducting a $1.4 million capital campaign in 1999. Once again, Marchal stepped back into the hospice picture and chaired that campaign.
“The community was very supportive of the capital campaign,” Wehri said. “So many stepped forward to help us not only lead and guide the campaign, but to help by making contributions and lending major financial support.”
She added, “State of the Heart has always been known for the quality, compassionate hospice care the staff provides. When we went to the community for help funding the new building, people were aware of the great care our staff had provided their families, friends and neighbors. The agency’s excellent reputation helped make the campaign so successful.”
Today, Wehri lives in Indiana and is the Hospice Liaison for the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care and a hospice specialist with the National Association of Home Care and Hospice in Washington, D.C. She is also owner and senior consultant of the health care consulting company, Katie Wehri and Associates.
It was also during Wehri’s tenure that services expanded and Camp BEARable for grieving children was established. Later, State of the Heart initiated a music therapy program hiring a certified music therapist, adding them to the team of caregivers. Since then, a second music therapist was added.
The services provided by State of the Heart became more comprehensive with bereavement support being offered to all ages and to anyone in the community who needed help dealing with grief and loss.
All of the agency’s early leaders believe State of the Heart will continue to thrive and grow, serving more patients in the following years. “The work of supporting patients and families at a most critical time in their lives remains a challenge, but the benefits are so worthwhile,” said Marchal. “Families will need hospice care more than ever in our country’s expanding population, technological advances, and higher costs in the health care system.”
More 30th Anniversary Articles
History Part 1: The Beginning 30 Years Ago
History Part 3: A 30-Year Reputation of Compassionate Care
