Alive’s New Franklin Office to Include Nonprofit’s ‘Closer to Home’ Strategy

Despite a morning of heavy rains, approximately 80 people turned out Wednesday for the grand opening ceremony for Alive’s new office in Franklin.

As the only nonprofit provider of hospice care and end-of-life services for Middle Tennessee, Alive can now better serve Williamson County, where it has been caring for families in their homes for more than 40 years.

In addition to her opening remarks, O’Neal spoke to the fact that the Franklin location is part of Alive’s “Closer to Home” strategy designed to build deeper relationships in the communities it serves.Attendees at the ceremony heard from Alive President and CEO Anna-Gene O’Neal and from Nancy Conway of Williamson, Inc. Also speaking was Ronald Griffith, former headmaster at Battle Ground Academy whose late wife was cared for by Alive. Aaron Menard, chaplain for Alive, gave the invocation.

Alive opened offices in Hendersonville and Lebanon and built a 10-bed residential care unit in Murfreesboro in 2017. The new office locations make visiting with clinical teams, educators and grief counselors more convenient for patients and families who live outside Davidson County where Alive is headquartered.

The Franklin office will be headed by Alive clinical director and longtime Franklin resident Jill Cornwell RN, CHPN. Lunch and Learn educational seminars will be offered along with new bereavement support programs at this location. The space includes a dedicated grief group counseling room which was designed pro bono specifically for this purpose by designer Leslie Ann Wilson at local architecture firm ESa.

The room was sponsored by Joni Werthan of Williamson County, in memory of her beloved best friend and business partner, Julie V. Bush, a patient of Alive who died in 2016.

To learn more about Alive or to volunteer, visit AliveHospice.org or call 615-327-1085.