Chapel Hill, NC – Carolina Meadows has donated $150,000 to support the development of the new hospice home of UNC Health Care facility planned for the new Chatham Park development in Pittsboro, N.C.
The campaign to construct a custom-built inpatient facility serving patients and their families at the end of life was launched in 2014 after UNC Health Care received authorization from the state of North Carolina. Dr. James Bryan II, a retired UNC physician, led the campaign to raise $4.7 million to construct the 11,000-square-foot, ten-bed facility. The completion of Hospice Home in Chatham County represents the fulfillment of Bryan’s many years of dedication to the concept of dignity at the end of life, made possible by the hospice movement.
UNC Hospice has been serving patients in Chatham County and surrounding communities continuously with in-home services since 1984 from offices in Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. In 1999, it became part of UNC Health Care, operating as UNC Hospice. In offering home-based hospice services, it provides a continuum of care that takes into account each patient’s specific medical, emotional and spiritual needs. Patients and families receive comprehensive support from an integrated team of caregivers, including skilled nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, pastoral and grief counselors and trained volunteers.
“The new Hospice Home of UNC Health Care will help to fill a large void in our region, since there currently is no licensed hospice inpatient facility in Chatham County,” said Amy Gorely, director of strategic initiatives and outreach for Carolina Meadows. “Having a resource like this close by will be a wonderful service and support for families throughout Chatham County and other neighboring communities.”
The new Hospice Home of UNC Health Care facility will be constructed on two acres of wooded land near major road access. The facility will provide a comfortable, home-like environment, including 10 private rooms, each with its own outdoor patio. The new building also will include all the services and amenities that will make patients and families feel at home, including a kitchen, dining room, meditation space, family visiting areas and children’s play room.
Two of the rooms – the reception and waiting areas – will carry the Carolina Meadows name in recognition of the Chapel Hill-based retirement community’s financial support of the project. Both areas will be hubs of activity for patients, family members, visitors, staff and volunteers as they enter the new building.
“The commitment Carolina Meadows has made to our new facility will ensure that future generations of patients and their families will experience the end of life surrounded by beauty, support and compassionate care, affording them a peaceful and dignified journey,” said Ann Braun, President of the Medical Foundation of North Carolina, an affiliate of UNC Health Care.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Hospice Home facility was held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14 at Chatham Park, located on Suttles Road in Pittsboro.