Hospice and Home Care Foundation of NC Receives Challenge Grant from SECU Foundation for Hospice and Home Care Pilot

Raleigh, N.C. March 8, 2019 – The member-funded SECU Foundation has announced its support for a new healthcare pilot in partnership with the Hospice and Home Care Foundation (HHCF) of North Carolina. The Foundation’s $268,196 three-year challenge grant will help address the shortage of registered nurses in home health and hospice settings through the development of a comprehensive and systematic program to onboard recent graduates and newly hired nurses to the field. Officials from HHCF were presented with a ceremonial check by SECU Foundation Board Chair Bob Brinson during a special event held at SECU’s Raleigh-Salisbury Street office.

“With the severe shortage of nurses in our industry, and particularly in rural areas, we are delighted that the SECU Foundation has approved a challenge grant to help fund our newest initiative to address this shortage,” said HHCF Executive Director Judy Penn, who also serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Association for Home & Hospice Care of NC (AHHC). “Working together with the nursing schools and home care and hospice agencies, new nurse graduates and nurses new to this setting will be better prepared and onboarding will be quicker, ensuring patients will continue to receive quality care in their homes and communities.”

HHCF was established in 1998 by the AHHC to promote the industry, educate consumers, provide workforce development, increase philanthropy efforts, and advance industry standards of care. The HHCF pilot will support these goals by providing substantial education and learning experiences for RN students, including clinical rotation opportunities, one-on-one mentoring with veteran RNs, and a comprehensive and standardized employer-based training model to bring newly graduated nurses on board. Sixteen pilot sites will be selected to participate in partnership with eight nursing education programs at community colleges and universities and eight home health/hospice agencies. 

“This pilot program has the potential to make a great impact in North Carolina – aiding in the recruitment and retention of highly-skilled nurses and addressing the growing need for hospice and home care services in our state,” remarked Mr. Brinson. “HHCF has fostered great relationships within the community for 21 years and has many strong supportive partners. SECU Foundation is delighted to offer our support for this initiative and we hope that the challenge grant will help them move forward.”

About AHHC and the HHCF
The Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC) is a nonprofit trade association representing providers of home health, hospice, palliative care, personal care, private duty nursing and companion/sitter services. The Association was established in 1972 and currently has a membership of over 750 provider agencies and vendors, who provide products and services to providers. AHHC's mission is to provide Resources, Education, Advocacy and Leadership. Services include: technical assistance, monthly newsletters, quality educational programs, annual directory, email alerts, and political lobbying. AHHC strongly advocates for their members and the many patients they serve, and is recognized by colleagues, regulators, and legislators as one of the most active and effective home care associations in the US.

The Hospice and Home Care Foundation of North Carolina (Foundation) is a non-profit foundation that was established in 1998 by the Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina. Its primary purposes are: to enhance community awareness of hospice and home care options; to educate consumers, policymakers, and the public at-large about the hospice and home care industry; and to conduct workforce improvement studies focused on hospice and home care programs.

About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 81 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves over 2.3 million members through 265 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website, www.ncsecu.org. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of more than $154 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.