Hospice gala in Middletown honors care partners, celebrates community support

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties used its largest annual fundraiser to draw attention to a local reality many families do not think about until a crisis: the Kaplan Family Hospice Residence is the only hospice residence in Orange or Sullivan County. The A Legacy in Bloom gala brought that message into a public setting at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, where community leaders, health-care partners, supporters and advocates gathered to recognize the people and institutions that keep hospice care available.

The event ran from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 18, with individual tickets listed at $300 and sponsorships ranging from $2,500 Bronze to $25,000 Diamond. Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties honored Garnet Health Medical Center and Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital as community partners, underscoring how hospice care in the region depends on more than one organization. The agency says it provides care in Orange County, Sullivan County and at sites including Garnet Health Medical Center, Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and area nursing facilities.

That network has grown over time. Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties says it began serving Sullivan County in 1993, after its original New York nonprofit filing on Feb. 24, 1988. Financial data for 2024 show about $15.2 million in revenue and $16.6 million in expenses. Separate nonprofit data show the organization provided 52,242 days of care to 2,777 patients and loved ones last year, including 329 patients at the Kaplan Family Hospice Residence for a total of 3,336 days of care.

Those numbers point to the scale of the need behind the gala. Hospice care often enters a family’s life during serious illness, when comfort, emotional support and dignity matter as much as medical treatment. In that setting, community fundraising is not just ceremonial. It helps sustain services that reach patients at home, in hospitals and in nursing facilities across two counties.

The honored hospital partners also reflect the broader health system hospice works within. Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall says it has served the Hudson Valley for more than 150 years and cares for more than 270,000 patients each year across its Newburgh and Cornwall campuses. For families in Middletown, Newburgh, Cornwall and across Sullivan County, the gala was a reminder that end-of-life care is part of the region’s daily health infrastructure, and that keeping it strong depends on local support.