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Hospice house named for Bud, Donna Somers

Bill Rogers, Highlands Today

Bud Somers is shown with Good Shepherd Hospice aide Amina Hipps of Avon Park during the groundbreaking Thursday for Good Shepherd's facility in Sebring. Hipps took care of Donna Somers before she passed away in September.

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By BILL ROGERS

Highlands Today

Published: January 8, 2010

SEBRING - Good Shepherd Hospice announced Thursday that the hospice house under construction in Sebring will be named the Bud and Donna Somers Hospice House and Community Resource Center.

Erwin "Bud" Somers made what Kathy Fernandez, HPC Healthcare president and CEO, described as the "most significant dollar amount cash gift Good Shepherd has ever received" in memory of his late wife, Donna. She received end-of-life care from Good Shepherd prior to her death last September. HPC Healthcare is the parent organization of Good Shepherd.

The amount of the gift was not disclosed at the request of Bud Somers.

"Good Shepherd Hospice is extremely grateful to Mr. Somers for his generosity and support of our mission," Fernandez said in a press release. "His donation will be a direct link to the quality care Good Shepherd Hospice will provide patients at this facility."

Construction will take 11 months, according to Mark Stevens of Stevens Construction in Fort Myers. Architecture Inc. in Fort Myers is handling the architectural services for the project.

The center is expected to open in early 2011. It will employ between 35 and 40 people.

The press release stated that Good Shepherd awarded more than $2 million of the project to subcontractors from Highlands and Hardee counties who submitted bids. This represents 59 percent of the qualified bids that were submitted.

In some cases, Good Shepherd gave local contractors pricing preferences, ranging from 3.6 to 8 percent of the bid price, the release noted.

Groundbreaking for the facility at 1110 Hammock Road was held Thursday.

"This is a wonderful project for this community," said Sebring Mayor George Hensley.

Bill Rogers can be reached at 863-386-5825 or wrogers@highlandstoday.com

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