Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads welcomes first patient [Video]

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — For a long time, the Hampton Roads region was without a single freestanding Hospice House, but this year, that changed as the Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads officially opened its doors.

Now fully accredited, it welcomed its patient Thursday.

“There are people in the community that saw that there was a need for a Hospice House in Hampton Roads, and they were surprised that we didn’t have one,” said Victoria Crenshaw, senior vice president of health and innovation at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay and Hospice House of Hampton Roads executive director.

A recent report from Old Dominion University suggested that Hampton Roads appeared to be the largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation without a freestanding Hospice House, but now, that’s changed.

“This has been a vision from several years ago and a lot of work to get to where we are today,” Crenshaw said. “Our team has been here preparing, getting ready for that first patient, but making sure everything goes …