About Us
Since 1992, Good Sam has been the only non-profit, community-based hospice serving southwest Virginia. No other local hospice offers you more comprehensive services than Good Sam. We provide the highest quality care with the most options, expertise, support and compassion. Every decision we make is guided by our values and mission, with the goal of providing the best care, not gaining the most profit.
Our Mission
Our mission is to affirm life in the midst of illness and grief and, above all, to honor what matters most to each person and family served.
Our Approach
When we care for patients and families, we are their partners. We are beside them at each stage of the journey, and we understand this is a sacred chapter in life where every moment counts. Our commitment to helping our patients live life as comfortably as possible is something we take very seriously. We want them to have choices, and most importantly, we want their dignity to remain intact. That’s what matters most to us.
We are the only one serving the Roanoke and New River Valleys. There are no stakeholders or philanthropy outlets to serve. Simply put, our patients and families come first. We see everything we do for others as an opportunity to give back. All income and donations are channeled back into our specialized services so we can continue to provide an unparalleled level of care. Our profits are also used to create “extra” services like Complementary Therapies, our Memory Catchers program, and extensive bereavement support.
As a community-based entity, we live and work in the communities we serve. We devote substantial time and resources to our community through end-of-life education, advance care planning, counseling programs, and outreach groups. We do not answer to an out-of-state corporate structure, possibly with other service lines besides hospice. Instead, Good Sam is the first hospice in the Roanoke Valley to obtain Medicare and Medicaid certification and offer the full range of hospice services to people needing this special kind of care. Everything we do is for you, not profit.
Testimonials
I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Good Sam
I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Good Sam during my sister’s end-of-life journey. I never would have imagined the ways that you provide assistance. There was so much flexibility in the amount of care I could ask for, the timing of visits, etc. The 24-hour availability does not exist in any other business. Your staff was so compassionate and gentle. They were so comfortable talking about death that it provided peace of mind and engendered conversation that, otherwise, would have been so difficult. You are truly angels of mercy.
Our nurse was a blessing to our family
Thank you for the wonderful care you took of our Dad these past few months. He looked forward to your coming and knew each of you by name. You kept him alert until his last day. Our nurse was a blessing to our family as well as his aides. Your kindness is very much appreciated. God Bless.
Everyone from Good Sam who entered our home went above and beyond in their caring and tasks
The last sentence from the Good Samaritan philosophy, “We aspire to be Good Samaritans to our patients by alleviating as much suffering as possible, going the extra mile, and walking with them to the end of their life’s journey to ensure their hope, dignity, and sense of importance remain intact” resonates with profound truth. Everyone from Good Sam who entered our home went above and beyond in their caring and tasks. We all immediately became friends and my husband so looked forward to the visits and hugs and laughter.
Community Report
Leadership Team
Providers
Dr. Easterday is an alumna of the hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at Carilion Clinic. She received her Doctor of Medicine from American University of the Caribbean and completed the Family Medicine Internship and Residency program at Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. She is board certified in Family Medicine. In addition to Doctor of Medicine, Dr. Easterday holds a Master of Arts in Thanatology and Master of Divinity degree.
Dr. Gamaluddin joined Good Sam in July 2016. She is board certified in family medicine as well as hospice and palliative medicine. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2003 and completed her family practice residency at Lancaster General Hospital in 2006. She was in private practice in central New York for over nine years before moving to the Roanoke Valley. Dr. Gamaluddin completed her fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine through Carilion Clinic where she continues both inpatient and outpatient palliative care. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Ramiro, and their four children.
Leadership
Aaron Housh is the third CEO in Good Sam’s history. He has a Bachelor of Art in Political Science from Berea College in Kentucky. After graduation, he accepted a position with a local non-profit hospice organization where he says he “found not only a job, but his passion.” His entire career has been devoted to end-of-life care where he has gained extensive experience in hospice leadership and operations. He has served as Chief Operating Officer for Hospice of Southern West Virginia and, most recently, as the CEO of Burke Hospice and Palliative Care in Valdese, North Carolina. He was born and raised in a small town in central Texas, has a wife and three children.
