The Duke Endowment Grant Award Supports First Coordinated Palliative Care Program in Robeson County
UNC Health Southeastern was awarded $575,000 from The Duke Endowment to establish Robeson County’s first coordinated hospital-to-community palliative care program in partnership with Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.
The investment represents a significant step forward in expanding access to compassionate, patient-centered care for an estimated 400 patients with serious illness while strengthening the healthcare continuum across Robeson County. By creating a seamless connection between hospital care and community-based services, the initiative will ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the setting that best meets their needs.
Palliative care is a specialized medical service focused on improving quality of life for patients facing serious illness. It provides an additional layer of support through symptom management, care coordination, advance care planning, and assistance navigating complex medical decisions while patients continue to receive treatment for their underlying conditions. Research has consistently demonstrated that palliative care improves quality of life, enhances patient and family satisfaction, and can reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department utilization.
“For many families, serious illness extends beyond medical treatments,” said UNC Health Southeastern President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Ellington. “It often brings emotional stress, uncertainty, and the challenge of coordinating care across multiple providers. This program is designed to ease that burden by providing a dedicated team that helps patients and caregivers navigate complex healthcare decisions while ensuring their goals, values, and preferences remain at the center of care.”
The three-year initiative will improve access to serious illness care for residents facing chronic and life-limiting conditions by creating an inpatient referral process and provide services through LifeCare’s outpatient palliative care clinic.
LifeCare opened a palliative care clinic in The Oaks community in Lumberton earlier this year with Joshua McCullough, DNP, serving as the palliative care nurse practitioner. In addition to care provided at the clinic, home-based care is also offered to patients who are physically challenged or unable to travel to the clinic.
“Establishing a palliative care clinic in Robeson County was important to us because we identified there was a great need for this type of care in the community,” said Lower Cape Fear LifeCare President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Brubaker-Miller.
The program will focus on improving symptom management, advance care planning, care coordination, and quality of life while reducing preventable emergency department visits and hospital readmissions.
“Being able to coordinate care across the hospital to the home setting not only provides a convenience for our patients, but also an opportunity to transition to their home and with a provider to enable them to be comfortable during a particularly difficult time for both the patient and the family,” added Brubaker-Miller. “This grant allows us to collaborate to provide compassionate care in a way that is best for the patient.”
The grant will support the development of a structured inpatient referral process to identify patients who may benefit from palliative care services; an outpatient palliative care clinic to provide ongoing support and care coordination; home-based palliative care services to extend care beyond the walls of the hospital; enhanced advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions; and improved coordination among healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, and community resources.
Special emphasis will be placed on addressing barriers to care for rural residents through community engagement, culturally responsive services, and guidance from a Community Advisory Board.
“We know that transportation is a major barrier for our patients, therefore the home-based care component of this partnership becomes particularly important for our residents,” said UNC Health Southeastern Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lori Dove.
Expanding access to home-based palliative care will allow patients to receive specialized support in the comfort of their own homes while reducing travel burdens for caregivers and families.
Beyond the immediate impact on patients and families, this program represents an important step toward strengthening the healthcare infrastructure of our region. It reflects a growing recognition that high-quality healthcare extends beyond treating disease, it includes supporting patients and families through some of life's most challenging moments with dignity, compassion, and coordinated care.
“We are grateful to The Duke Endowment for its investment in our community and to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare for its partnership in this important work,” said Dove. “Together, we are creating a model that has the potential to transform serious illness care in Robeson County for years to come.”
For more information about palliative care services or to make a referral, visit lifecare.org.
About The Duke Endowment
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $5 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.
