(PHOTOS) ‘Demo Party’ celebrates new Wyo Hospice grief care center
CASPER, Wyo. — A lone non-bearing wall was the sacrificial center of attention on Thursday morning for a promising new future in grief care in Casper.
“This is going to be Wyoming’s first grief care center,” said Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions Executive Director Kilty Brown as she addressed people from the hospice board, staff and supporters, as well as architects and construction crews all packed into a stripped nondescript former lobby.
During the raucous event, various people involved in the projects took turns donning construction hats and glasses and swinging heavy hammers into the doomed drywall in the former office building.
“When we talked to families, people who had lost loved ones, 76% of them had experienced depression or anxiety, and about 56% had lost enjoyment in the things they loved, and then about 8% admitted that they were having feelings of self-harm,” she said. “That’s not something we can tolerate.”
Central Wyoming Hospice launched its grief care service in August 2023, with help funds from the American Rescue Plan Act issued during the pandemic. It opened in a temporary office at 111 S. Jefferson St. and plans to move into its customized facility on Fenway next summer.
Houser said the center will be open free of charge to anyone in the community, not just for families who have gone through hospice care.
Brandon Daigle, director of development and president of MOA Architecture, told the assembled crowd that everyone in the community has likely been touched by hospice and their work. “Projects like this are really important to MOA,” he said. “We consider this to be a socially relevant piece of architecture. It’s not a huge project, but it has a very significant impact.”
The current lobby near the building’s front entrance will remain a lobby, but will have a warmer, residential feel, he said. “This will be more like a living room, with a fireplace and nice reception space,” he said. “We really tied to keep as much natural daylight and introduce a whole bunch of new windows into the space.”
One wing will house counselors offices, a new break room and group session rooms, while another section will house staffing and operations. A chapel space will also be built into the new design, he said.
John Griffith, vice president of Sletten Construction, echoed their connection to the hospice operation. “This is more than just a project for us,” he said. “Every single person on our team, myself included, has had family members in some way or another touched by hospice.
“This project is exciting for our community.”