Members of the McLeod Home-Based Palliative Care Team include Nurse Practitioners Amanda Lee, Tonya Marshall and Maureen Byrd; Registered Nurse Julie Award, Palliative Care Coordinator Marilyn Reaves and Lapocsha Hodges, Administrative Assistant.

The McLeod Health Foundation has received a grant from The Duke Endowment for $300,000 to establish a home-based palliative care program in the Pee Dee region. The program is designed to provide medical support to adult patients affected by progressive, chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, cancer and dementia.

The Pee Dee region’s high rate of chronic illnesses and few options to manage them results in overutilization of area hospitals. Thirty percent of patients who present to a McLeod Health Emergency Department (ED) with a chronic illness as their primary diagnosis return to the ED within one year. These patients account for 56 percent of total ED visits related to chronic illness.

The home-based palliative care program is partnering with regional physicians and hospitals in identifying patient referrals. The home-based palliative care program will also work with McLeod Inpatient Palliative Care, Home Health and Hospice to transition care more seamlessly.

The program revolves around regular visits from Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in the home environments of chronically-ill patients. These Nurse Practitioners work on a consultative basis with primary care physicians to enhance the patient’s quality of life by alleviating symptoms related to their chronic illnesses. This improves the patient’s ability to perform daily activities and to tolerate continued medical treatment. The Nurse Practitioners also help patients and their families understand their disease processes, options for treatment and establish goals of care.

The McLeod Home-Based Palliative Care Program includes Nurse Practitioners Amanda Lee, Tonya Marshall and Maureen Byrd; Registered Nurse Julie Award, Palliative Care Coordinator Marilyn Reaves and Lapocsha Hodges, Administrative Assistant.
“There is such a great need in our community for patients living with chronic conditions who need this level of care,” explained Joan Harrison-Pavy, Administrator of McLeod Hospice and Palliative Care. “Establishing this program will help us to identify these patients sooner and improve the management of their illness in the comfort of their home.”

“We are fortunate to have the support of The Duke Endowment,” said Jill Bramblett, Executive Director of the McLeod Health Foundation. “With their help, we are striving to build healthier communities and continuing to develop outstanding health care that McLeod has been a leader in for more than a century.”

This grant supports the mission of McLeod Health, which is to improve the overall health and well-being of people living within South Carolina and eastern North Carolina by providing excellence in health care.