Sarasota County families will now have access to a program built around a single Hebrew word: tikvah, meaning hope. Tikvah at Empath Health, the Jewish Care and Support program offered within Empath's Trustbridge Hospice footprint, is expanding into Sarasota through Tidewell Hospice, bringing culturally grounded, faith-centered care to Jewish patients and families navigating serious illness, hospice, and grief.

Leading the effort is Sepi Ackerman, PharmD, Director of Jewish Community Development for Tidewell, whose career has been rooted at the intersection of clinical care and community trust. For Ackerman, bringing Tikvah to Sarasota is about more than offering Jewish resources; it is about creating a place where Jewish patients and families feel recognized and understood during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

“With Tikvah, we want every Jewish patient and family to feel seen, understood and supported, not only in their medical needs, but in the traditions, values and faith that give their lives meaning. They can have both, fully integrated, from the first conversation. Hope is something we carry with families throughout the journey, not something we save for the end,” said Ackerman.

Tikvah weaves Jewish tradition into the care experience in meaningful, tangible ways. Patients can receive a Shabbat box, complete with battery-operated candles, grape juice and challah, delivered directly to them. The program also offers holiday programming and ritual items for observances such as Rosh Hashanah, Chanukkah and Passover. In addition, Tikvah provides spiritual care and connections to Bikur Cholim (Jewish volunteers who visit and support those who are ill) as well as resources throughout the greater Jewish community, including local synagogues, the Jewish Federation, JFCS and funeral homes that honor Jewish traditions.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest gestures that bring the greatest comfort. Tikvah also offers Mi “SheBears” tikvah teddy bears paired with Mi Shebeirach (the Jewish prayer for healing) giving patients and families something tangible to hold onto during difficult moments. Whether it’s the familiar glow of Shabbat candles, the words of a beloved prayer or the comfort of a volunteer visit, these simple connections can help patients and families feel seen, supported and connected to their Jewish community.

Tikvah is one expression of Empath Health’s broader Full Life Care philosophy: a commitment to supporting people across every stage of health, from home health and palliative care to hospice and grief support. Bringing an enhanced version of the program to Sarasota reflects the organization’s recognition that meaningful care must be shaped by the specific community it serves, including its faith, culture, and history.

For Sarasota’s Jewish families, that means care that doesn’t ask them to set aside who they are in order to receive it, whether that’s a rabbi’s counsel, a Shabbat candle lighting at the bedside, or simply having someone on the care team who understands what a particular tradition means to them.