Mission
To care for individuals and families with compassion, support, and expertise as they navigate the end of life or life-changing illness.
Vision
The right care at the right time, providing the best possible experience for patients and families in our community facing the end of life or life-changing illness.
History
1979
Hospice of Wake County is formed as a non-profit organization, with one staff member and 20 volunteers. The first patient admitted is a young child with leukemia, and five more patients are served that year.
The first Board of Directors of Hospice of Wake County includes Dr. Billy Dunlap (hematologist and oncologist in Raleigh), Kathleen Townsend (primary-care nurse at Rex Hospital), and Derenda James (nurse at WakeMed).
1980s – 1990s
Hospice of Wake County (HOWC) institutes a popular fundraiser – Oktoberfest – held for 17 years in Cameron Village and for three years in North Hills.
HOWC receives Medicare.
2000s
We launch our Palliative Care program, the first of its kind in North Carolina.
Marketing begins on our capital campaign’s private phase.
North Carolina’s Council of State awards 8.7 acres of land for the area’s first free-standing hospice facility to be built off Trinity Road in Cary.
2010 – 2015
Hospice of Wake County opens the area’s first free-standing hospice facility. In 2011, the campus is dedicated as the Reid S. Towler Campus, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Towler and his $1 million gift in 2010.
Hospice of Wake County and Hospice of Harnett County merge to enhance access to non-profit hospice care.
In 2013, the Board of Directors approves a name change to Transitions LifeCare to reflect our offerings of more than “hospice” care and service to patients well beyond “Wake County.”
Guiding Lights and Transitions LifeCare form a partnership to improve efficiencies of both organizations.
Transitions Kids is introduced.
2016 – 2020
A $6 million campaign is completed, allowing for the construction of ten additional rooms in the Hospice Home.
Transitions HospiceCare is named a Hospice Honors recipient in 2017 and 2020 and a Hospice Honors elite recipient in 2018 and 2019.
Transitions PalliativeCare becomes largest provider of palliative care services in North Carolina.
Named TBJ’s Best Places to Work 2019 and 2020.
2021
2021 Raleigh’s Best (N&O)
We are the BEST! Now, it’s not our norm to brag, this is coming straight from News & Observer readers! In all the categories, there were 50,000 votes! Within the “hospice” category, Transitions was named the BEST!
Earns NHPCO’s Quality Connections “Education” and “Application” rings.
Team
Board of Directors
Adam Wolk, MD, President
Senior Medical Officer
Alignment Healthcare
Tina Alvarado-Shanahan, Vice President
Retired
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral
Jay Irby, Treasurer
Triangle Area Executive
First Citizens Bank
Pam Stocks, Secretary
President and Chief Cultural Officer
The Nautical Group
Zeke Creech, Past President
Attorney
State of North Carolina
Casey Atwater
Senior Vice President, West Raleigh Market President
North State Bank
Jerry Bernstein, MD
Partner/Physician
Raleigh Pediatric Associates
Beth Perry Black, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor
UNC-CH School of Nursing
Rhonda Catlin
Manager of Case Management
Duke Raleigh Hospital
Billy Dunlap, MD
Founder, Hospice of Wake County
Physician, retired
Brenda Gibson
Community Leader
Charles Harr, MD
Executive Medical Director and Cardiothoracic Surgeon
WakeMed
Heather Honeycutt, AuD
Clinical Audiologist
Cape Fear Otolaryngology
Paul Immanuel
CEO and Principal Consultant
Immanuel Consulting Services, LLC
Ryan Jury
COVID-19 Vaccine Program Director
NC Department of Health and Human Services
Burke Koonce III
Investment Strategist
Trust Company of the South
Laura Patel, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM
CEO and CMO
Transitions LifeCare
Bobby Simpson
Duke Energy, retired
Chileatha Wynn, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C
Physician Assistant, UNC Family Medicine Urgent Care
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
Board of Trustees
Burke Koonce III, Chair
Investment Strategist
Trust Company of the South
Jay Irby, Treasurer
Triangle Area Executive
First Citizens Bank
Polly Yeargan Hardie
Trustee
Yeargan Foundation Charitable Trust
Jamal Jones
Chief Administrative Officer
Piedmont Health Services, Inc
Charles Kabugo-Musoke
Attorney
Smith Anderson
Steve Shelton
Chief Financial Officer
Transitions LifeCare
Rebecca “Joy” Sloan
Community Volunteer
Temple Sloan Family Foundation
David Wolf
Community Volunteer
George York, Jr.
President and CEO
York Properties
Service Area
Transitions LifeCare offers a variety of expert care and support services in Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Orange, and Wake counties; with limited services in Chatham, Franklin, and Granville counties. To learn more about any particular service in your area, call 919.828.0890 or 888.900.3959 (toll free).
Sustain the Impact
Help us to sustain the impact. Your financial commitment will ensure that we keep our promise that no one will ever be turned away due to financial status. Throughout our service area, an average of 8% of patients are underserved and indigent, which includes adults and children – four times the national average. Your gift allows them to face end of life in a dignified way and in a place they call home. In addition, your support provides free grief counseling services through the Kit Boney Grief Center, providing hope and healing to everyone in the community.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Our mission is to care for individuals and families with compassion, support, and expertise as they navigate the end of life or life-changing illness. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ensure we can fulfill our purpose by creating a better, more equitable and inclusive healthcare experience for the entire community we serve.
- Diversity reflects the ways people are unique. This includes race, ethnicity, gender, culture, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, neurodiversity, disability, and invisible illness.
- Equity creates fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for individuals by establishing processes that counteract social inequities and prevent the formation of barriers.
- Inclusion creates a workplace where employees feel safe to engage and participate fully because they feel respected, free to express their ideas, and valued for their unique perspectives. Employees are then able to foster an inclusive environment for the entire community Transitions LifeCare serves.
By embedding DEI within our organization, we are working towards our vision of providing the best possible experience for patients and families in our community facing the end of life or life-changing illness. Treating patients and families with respect and getting to know them as individuals helps us provide the best care. Following through on our DEI promises exemplifies our core values of compassion, respect, teamwork, and commitment.
We recognize that:
- Creating awareness of different perspectives and cultural competence supports compassion.
- Inclusion helps everyone grow.
- Involving people from different perspectives and valuing contributions from diverse backgrounds creates more open doors, more options for patient care, and ultimately, helps build a better system to deliver care.