JACKSONVILLE, FL – July 31, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Community Hospice & Palliative Care welcomed children and families served through Community PēdsCare® to an open house at the Dorion Family Pediatric Center this week, giving many of them their first look at the new pediatric hospice and palliative care center. The Jacksonville-based nonprofit hosted the event so families could tour the building, meet care team members, and take part in activities designed for children.
For many of the families in attendance, the open house was their first chance to see a space created specifically for them. Visitors explored the center, connected with the clinicians and staff who care for them, and discovered the ways the new building will support the family-centered care they already receive at home and in the hospital.
Earlier this month, the organization officially opened the center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring remarks from Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan; Phillip Ward, president and CEO of Community Hospice & Palliative Care; Susan Ponder-Stansel, president and CEO of parent organization Alivia Care, Inc.; and the building’s namesake, Dottie Dorion. The ceremony drew more than 300 community leaders, donors, and families, and celebrated the opening of Florida’s first dedicated pediatric hospice and palliative care center, one of only a few of its kind in the United States.
“This center was thoughtfully designed with our families at the heart of every decision,” said Phillip Ward, president and CEO of Community Hospice & Palliative Care. “Watching our patients and families walk through the doors for the first time and seeing their excitement was incredibly meaningful. The Dorion Family Pediatric Center represents more than a building. It is a place where children can simply be children, where families can find support and where our team can continue providing compassionate care in new and meaningful ways.”
During the event, children explored the Healing Harmonies Music Therapy Room, expressed themselves in the HeArts and Hope Creative Arts Room, and discovered the Sensory Therapeutic Playroom. Others climbed through the Adventure Playground, gathered beneath the Tree of Wonder, and spent quiet moments with their families in the Outdoor Sanctuary. By the end of the afternoon, the center had begun serving as what it was designed to be: a place of comfort, connection, and community.
The center, located on the organization’s Earl B. Hadlow Campus, serves as the home of Community PēdsCare®, the organization’s pediatric palliative and hospice program, and complements the in-home care the program has provided for decades. Its dedicated spaces support music therapy, creative arts, therapeutic recreation, child life services, caregiver support, grief support, educational workshops, support groups, and other family-centered programming. Every room was designed to encourage healing, play, and self-expression while creating opportunities for children and families to spend meaningful time together.
Community PēdsCare® continues to provide care wherever families need it most, including in their homes, in hospitals, and now at the Dorion Family Pediatric Center. Together, these services give children with serious illnesses and their families comprehensive, compassionate support at every stage of their journey across Northeast Florida, along with a place where they can gather, learn, heal, and build meaningful connections.
More information about Community PēdsCare® and the Dorion Family Pediatric Center is available at CommunityPedsCare.com.
About Community Hospice & Palliative Care
Established in 1979, Community Hospice & Palliative Care is an innovative national leader in palliative and hospice care, as well as providing programs and services to meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. During its 47-year history, through the support of more than 1,000 employees and 1,000 volunteers, the organization helps approximately 1,500 patients per day to live better with advanced illness, at home, in long-term care and assisted living facilities, in hospitals and at its 10 inpatient care centers. No one is ever denied care due to an inability to pay. To learn more about the support and services of Community Hospice & Palliative Care, visit CommunityHospice.com.
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For more information about Community Hospice & Palliative Care, contact the company here:
Community Hospice & Palliative Care
Michelle Cardinal
(904) 477-4103
mcardinal@communityhospice.com
4266 Sunbeam Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32257
