Mountain Hospice and Barbour County Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Hoxie are the Barbour County Chamber of Commerce Members of the Month in June.
Attorney Thomas Hoxie is shown at left, with Mike Elza, who is Director of Marketing and Public Education at Mountain Hospice.
Mountain Hospice is the “only hometown hospice in the area”, says Elza, “and not all hospices are the same.” Mountain Hospice was founded some twenty years ago by members of the Philippi Baptist Church and hospice services were soon requested by patients in six surrounding counties. Mountain Hospice provides care for families and terminally ill patients, including physician’s directed care, chaplains for spiritual care, registered nursing for in-home visits, social and medication support, and other aid services.
“Mountain Hospice,” says Elza, “is an in-home program designed to assist patients and their families live life as fully as possible during a life-limiting illness. We allow patients to maintain control of their lives,” he says, “while enhancing the quality of time that remains. We provide supportive care to meet the needs of patients and their families, regardless of their ability to pay. Comfort and Compassion When It’s Needed Most,” is our motto.”
The corporate office for Mountain Hospice is located at 1002 South Crim Avenue in Belington, telephone (304) 823-3922. Or contact
Thomas Hoxie is a Barbour County native and graduate of Philip Barbour High School and the West Virginia University College of Law. Elected in 2016, Hoxie is responsible for prosecuting all criminal cases in the county while representing the county in civil cases. He also represents the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources in all child abuse and neglect cases in the county.
Hoxie has focused the majority of his time on prosecuting felony cases with the goal of incarceration for violent and drug offenses, he says. “Approximately 72 felons convicted in Barbour County are serving prison sentences in the West Virginia State Penitentiary,” he says, “while the county has averaged 72.67 felons in prison for the past three years. Comparing 2008 with 20016, when the county averaged 47.56 inmates, we have seen a 52% increase in the last three years.” He does not anticipate the drug epidemic or the rate of incarceration to decrease any time soon.
The office of the Prosecuting Attorney is located on the 2nd floor of the Barbour County courthouse in Philippi at (304) 457-1811 or by visiting barbourcountywv.org