Nationally known Fort Myers hospice CEO, after 40 years, remains industry force

Over the 30-plus years Samira Beckwith has been leading Fort Myers-based Hope Healthcare, the nonprofit has expanded from a hospice serving less than 100 patients to an organization offering a full spectrum of health care services. Hope Healthcare now cares for some 3,000 people a day, providing hospice, palliative, cardiac and senior care; a Parkinson’s program; care for children with complex medical conditions; and grief counseling for all ages plus complementary therapies.

But Beckwith, who has been in the hospice sector for 40 years, shows no signs of stopping or slowing the expansion of services. “We have to continue to be relevant for people and for the communities we serve,” she says. “Even with all the effort we’ve put in, we can’t let up in our quest to really assure quality of life for people. People can live better or to their potential while they have a serious illness or advancing illness.”