Awards & Accolades

2023 Awards 

AY Magazine
AY’s Best of 2023
Arkansas Hospice was named best provider of hospice care by readers of AY Magazine. The recognition was announced in the magazine’s June 2023 issue.

Hot Springs Sentinel-Record
Reader’s Choice Award for Best Hospice
Arkansas Hospice was named “best hospice” by readers of The Hot Springs Sentinel-Record for care provided by the Hot Springs Area Office. The Reader’s Choice Awards were announced in the summer of 2023.

HEALTHCAREfirst
Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2023 recipient of the Hospice CAHPS Honors Elite and Hospice Honors awards, which recognize agencies continuously providing the highest level of quality care and positive patient and caregiver experiences. The Hospice Honors Elite Award recognizes Arkansas Hospice’s locations in Berryville, Rogers and Russellville. The Hospice Honors Award recognizes the organization’s locations in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Star Ratings
In May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services refreshed its star ratings for hospice organizations, based on results of family satisfaction surveys. Arkansas Hospice received 4-star ratings for locations under its Russellville provider number (Berryville, Rogers and Russellville) and North Little Rock provider number (area offices for Greater Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy, plus the Arkansas Hospice Ottenheimer Inpatient Center in Little Rock). LifeTouch Hospice, which is based in El Dorado and joined the Arkansas Hospice Family of Care on June 1, also received a 4-star rating.

MySaline.com
Saline County Favorites 2023
Arkansas Hospice was selected as the best hospice care provider by the readers of MySaline.com for care that the Central and Hot Springs clinical teams provided patients and families in Saline County. The awards were announced in the summer of 2023.

The Daily Citizen
Reader’s Choice Award for Best Hospice
Arkansas Hospice was named “best hospice” by readers of The Daily Citizen in Searcy. Winners for the Reader’s Choice Awards were announced in October 2023.

AY Magazine
2023 Best of Women in Healthcare
Three women from the Arkansas Hospice Family of Care were named among AY’s Best Women in Healthcare 2023 by the readers of AY Magazine. They were Anita Deal, RN, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer; Nikki Taylor, APRN, Director of Palliative & Primary Care; and Brittany Allen, APRN, Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner. The recognition was announced in the magazine’s December issue.

Arkansas Hospital Association
Diamond Awards
Arkansas Hospice’s media team won three Diamond Awards, which recognize excellence in healthcare marketing and public relations. In the newly created social media category, the award was presented for “Arkansas Hospice Social Media: Year-in-Review,” which featured a selection of posts made on the Arkansas Hospice Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages in 2022. In the Foundation category, the Diamond Award was presented for Party at the Plaza 2022, the Arkansas Hospice Foundation’s new signature event, for work promoting the celebration that was free to the community, thanks to generous sponsors. Because of covid concerns, portions of the event were presented both in-person and via livestreaming. Finally, Arkansas Hospice’s “Caregiver Support” campaign received the Diamond Award category for Advertising – Total Campaign, which recognizes work using more than one medium. Arkansas Hospice’s entry introduced the organization’s continuum of care to caregivers whose loved ones are approaching a point of becoming eligible for hospice services. The Diamond Awards are given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations.

2022 Awards 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Star Ratings
In August, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published its first star ratings for hospice organizations, based on results of family satisfaction surveys. Arkansas Hospice locations under its Russellville provider number (area offices in Berryville, Rogers and Russellville plus, the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home) received a 5-star rating, which is the highest rating possible. Locations under the organization’s North Little Rock provider number (area offices for Greater Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy, plus the Arkansas Hospice Ottenheimer Inpatient Center in Little Rock) received a 4-star rating. 

The Daily Citizen
Reader’s Choice Award for Best Hospice
Arkansas Hospice was named “best hospice” by readers of The Daily Citizen in Searcy. Votes for the Reader’s Choice Awards were cast in the summer of 2022.

Hot Springs Sentinel-Record
Reader’s Choice Award for Best Hospice
Arkansas Hospice was named “best hospice” by readers of The Hot Springs Sentinel-Record for care provided at the Hot Springs Area Office and the Hot Springs Inpatient Center. The Reader’s Choice Awards were announced in the summer of 2022.

Homecare Homebase
Hospice KPI Excellence Award
Arkansas Hospice was honored to receive the Hospice KPI Excellence Award from Homecare Homebase, a software company for hospice organizations delivering care to patients in their homes or other places of residence. The award is given based on the quality of patient care scores as defined by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and places Arkansas Hospice in the top 3% of all hospice providers that use Homecare Homebase.

AY Magazine
AY’s Best of 2022
Arkansas Hospice was named best provider of hospice care by readers of AY Magazine. The recognition was announced in the magazine’s May 2022 issue.

HEALTHCAREfirst
Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2022 recipient of the Hospice Honors Elite and Hospice Honors awards, which recognize agencies continuously providing the highest level of care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. The Hospice Honors Elite Award recognizes Arkansas Hospice offices and inpatient centers in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy. The Hospice Honors Award recognizes the organization’s offices in Berryville, Rogers and Russellville plus the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home in Russellville.

Arkansas Hospital Association
Diamond Awards
Arkansas Hospice’s media team won two Diamond Awards, which recognize excellence in healthcare marketing and public relations. In the Foundation category, the award was presented for “Season of Giving,” a fund-raising and awareness initiative that began on Nov. 1 with Arkansas Hospice’s first-ever Day of Giving and concluded on Dec. 31, 2021. The Season of Giving included the Arkansas Hospice Foundation’s end-of-year appeal. In the Advertising-Total Campaign category, the award was presented for “Physician Recruitment: Navigate Your Path to a Higher Quality of Life.” A Certificate of Excellence was also received in the Special Event category for “Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home: A Decade of Patient Care.” The Diamond Awards are given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations.

2021 Awards 

American College of Healthcare Executives
Regent’s Award for Senior Level Healthcare Executive
In early 2021, Arkansas Hospice announced that President & CEO Judy Wooten had received the 2020 ACHE Regent’s Award for Senior Level Healthcare Executive. The recognition is given by the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of more than 48,000 leaders who oversee hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. The award recognizes an Arkansas senior-level healthcare executive who has displayed innovative and creative management skills, contributed to the development of others in the healthcare profession, demonstrated leadership in local and state hospital and health association activities, and participated in community activities and projects. To learn more about this distinction, please click here.

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Fellow status
Brian Bell, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Arkansas Hospice, has been honored with the designation of being a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). The Academy is the professional organization for physicians whose professional activity is devoted to the practice of hospice and palliative medicine. The Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (FAAHPM) status is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a physician member. To learn more about this distinction, please click here.

HEALTHCAREfirst
Hospice Honors Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2021 recipient of the Hospice Honors award, which recognizes agencies continuously providing the highest level of care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. The distinction recognizes care provided by Arkansas Hospice’s area offices in Berryville, Russellville and Rogers as well as the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home in Russellville.

Arkansas Hospital Association
Diamond Awards
Arkansas Hospice’s media team won two Diamond Awards, which recognize excellence in healthcare marketing and public relations. Cards of Kindness, a goodwill effort to send messages of love and hope to those in facilities with an indefinite hold on visitors, received the award in the Special Event category. In the Foundation category, the award was presented for Minority Outreach: “Black, Brown and the Challenge of Dying Well,” a series of virtual events made possible by a grant from The Rebsamen Fund. The awards are given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations.

2020 Awards 

Arkansas Business and Best Companies Group Best Places to Work recipient
Arkansas Hospice has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Arkansas. This eighth annual program was created by Arkansas Business and Best Companies Group. This survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best employers in Arkansas, benefiting the state’s economy, workforce, and businesses. Arkansas Hospice is one of 47 award recipients for 2020. To learn more, please click here.

HEALTHCAREfirst Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2020 recipient of the Hospice Honors Elite and Hospice Honors awards, which recognize agencies continuously providing the highest level of care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. The Hospice Honors Award recognizes Arkansas Hospice’s Batesville location, and the Hospice Honors Elite Awards recognize the organization’s offices and inpatient centers in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Berryville, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Russellville and Searcy. To learn more, please click here.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
Arkansas Hospice’s media team received a Diamond Award in the Foundation category for its work promoting Gifts of Kindness. Supported by generous gifts and fundraising events, Gifts of Kindness make a difference in the lives of those in our care who have needs that are not met through traditional means. The media team also received a Certificate of Excellence in the writing category for “Puppy Love: Therapy Dogs Brighten Days at Arkansas Hospice.” The awards are given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. To learn more about Gifts of Kindness, please click here.

2019 Awards

Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas Heart Awards
Two recipients of the 2019 HPCAA Heart Awards had special ties to Arkansas Hospice. The Heart Award for Volunteers was awarded to Ronald Kaddatz, who became a volunteer with Arkansas Hospice’s Hot Springs Area Office three years ago after utilizing our grief support services due to the loss of his wife. The Heart Award for Hospice Aide was presented to Edith Farias, a CNA at Arkansas Hospice’s Hot Springs Area Office, who goes the extra mile by providing translation help for patient care and grief support, plus at funeral homes to help with families for arrangements.

Department of Defense Vietnam War Commemoration Commemorative Partner
Arkansas Hospice has been accepted as a Commemorative Partner by the Department of Defense Vietnam War Commemoration for demonstrating activities that recognize Vietnam veterans and their families’ service, valor, and sacrifice.

HEALTHCAREfirst Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2019 recipient of the Hospice Honors Elite and Hospice Honors awards, which recognize agencies continuously providing the highest level of quality care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. The Hospice Honors Elite Award recognizes Arkansas Hospice offices and inpatient centers in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy. The Hospice Honors Award recognizes the organization’s locations in Batesville, Berryville, Rogers and Russellville.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Communications & Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won three Diamond Awards given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. A Fair to Remember 2018 – the Arkansas Hospice Foundation’s signature biennial event – received the award in the Foundation category while the Foundation’s  “You Deserve a Hug” end-of-year appeal for 2018 won a Diamond Award in the Advertising-Total Campaign category. In the writing category, “A Stitch in Time” won the award for highlighting a patient at the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home who, over the years, created more than 40 dresses for young ladies to wear for their sweet 16 parties, 15th birthday celebrations (also known as quinceañeras), family weddings and other once-in-a-lifetime events – at no cost to them. In addition, a certificate of excellence was awarded for the 2017 Arkansas Hospice Annual Report.

2018 Awards

HEALTHCAREfirst Hospice Honors Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a 2018 recipient of the Hospice Honors award, which recognizes agencies continuously providing the highest level of quality care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. The award recognizes Arkansas Hospice offices and inpatient centers in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Searcy.

Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas Heart Awards
Two recipients of the 2018 HPCAA Heart Awards had special ties to Arkansas Hospice. The Champion Award was given posthumously to Dr. Reed Thompson, our longtime medical director who was a true pioneer in the field of comfort care through his work at Arkansas Hospice, UAMS and the Central Arkansas VA System. Dr. Thompson’s impact on his patients, colleagues and the organizations he served made a permanent mark that will be realized for generations to come. The Hospice Caregiver Award was presented to Stephanie Parsons, one of our generous donors and the daughter of an Arkansas Hospice patient. To honor her father, Art, Stephanie created Art’s Angels to help hospice patients in need. Both awards were presented at the Hospice & Palliative Care Association of Arkansas’s Partners in Care Conference.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won three Diamond Awards given by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. Arkansas Hospice’s 25th anniversary video received the award for the Print/Digital category, and the organization’s “Family Support with Comfort for All” advertisements won the award in the Advertising – Total Campaign category. In addition, the Arkansas Hospice Foundation’s “You Deserve Our Hugs” end-of-year appeal for 2017 won a Diamond Award in the Foundation category. A certificate of excellence was also awarded in the Special Event category for Arkansas Hospice’s Honoring Veterans event that was held on Nov. 8, 2017, in Berryville.

2017 Awards

Unity Health Foundation Spirit of Unity award
Shari Wells, MSN, APRN, received this award for going above and beyond to provide excellent care. Shari is part of our Supportive Care Services that are provided in Searcy by Unity Health and our Arkansas Palliative Care subsidiary.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won in the Foundation category for A Fair to Remember 2016 and in the Writing category for “Arnie Makes a Splash.” The Diamond Awards are sponsored by the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations.

Deyta Analytics Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice received the Hospice Honors Award, and the Hospice Honors Elite Award was given to Arkansas Hospice’s Russellville office and inpatient center. The awards recognize the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.

Blue & You Foundation Grant Recipient
For the second year in a row, Arkansas Hospice received a $150,000 grant from the Blue & You Foundation to fund our subsidiary organization, Arkansas Palliative Care, which is being piloted in Searcy in conjunction with Unity Health.

2016 Awards

Arkansas Business Best of Business Awards Winner – Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization and Best Nonprofit Fundraising Event
In addition to being named as the Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization, Arkansas Hospice’s signature event, A Fair to Remember, was chosen as the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Event.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won in the Annual Report category for our 2014 Fiscal Year in Review and in the Writing category for “We Honor Veterans: The Story of Cletis Overton.” Certificates of excellence were also awarded in the Advertising-Special Visuals category for the 2016 Arkansas Hospice Therapy Dog & Friends Calendar and in the Advertising-Total Campaign category for the organization’s minority outreach advertising.

Deyta Analytics Hospice Honors Award and Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice received the Hospice Honors Award, and the Hospice Honors Elite Award was given to Arkansas Hospice’s Russellville office and inpatient center. The awards recognize hospice agencies that provided the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.

Alzheimer’s Arkansas Outstanding Support Group Facilitator of the Year Award
Amy Thomason, Arkansas Hospice’s Community Liaison in Hot Springs, was named 2016’s Outstanding Support Group Facilitator of the Year by Alzheimer’s Arkansas.

Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Grant Recipient
For the second year in a row, the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen named Arkansas Hospice as a grant recipient. Part of the $62,326 award is for Arkansas Hospice’s Charitable Care Fund, and part of it is for our Bereavement Services to help the loved ones of our breast cancer patients in need of grief support.

Blue & You Foundation Grant/Private Gift from the Grace W. Dyer Sturgeon Trust
Thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Blue & You Foundation and a private gift from the Grace W. Dyer Sturgeon Trust, Arkansas Hospice started a new subsidiary organization, Arkansas Palliative Care. This new program is being piloted in Searcy in conjunction with Unity Health.

2015 Awards

Deyta Hospice Honors Elite Award
Arkansas Hospice was named a recipient of the Hospice Honors Elite Award. An additional Hospice Honors Elite Award was also given to Arkansas Hospice’s Russellville office and inpatient center. Receiving the honor places Arkansas Hospice in the top 2 percent of 1,700 hospices across the nation that use Deyta’s services.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won two Diamond Awards, one for the Arkansas Hospice 2013 Annual Report and another in the Foundation category for A Fair to Remember.

Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Grant Recipient
Arkansas Hospice was awarded a $23,000 for its program entitled Charitable Care for Breast Cancer Patients. This project will provide the full complement of hospice care to breast cancer patients and their families who are facing the end of life but cannot afford the expense, do not have private insurance and do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

2014 Awards

Arkansas Business Best of Business Awards Winner – Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization and Best Nonprofit Fundraising Event
For the second year in a row, Arkansas Hospice was named as the Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization in the Arkansas Business Best of Business Awards. In addition, Arkansas Hospice’s signature event, A Fair to Remember, was chosen as the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Event.

Deyta Hospice Honors Elite Award 
Receiving the honor places Arkansas Hospice in the top 2 percent of 1,700 hospices across the nation that use Deyta’s services. The Hospice Honors Elite Award recognizes Arkansas Hospice offices and inpatient centers in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Monticello, Conway and Searcy.

Deyta Hospice Honors Award
For the second year in a row, Arkansas Hospice Russellville received this award, which is based on the combined caregiver survey scores for the Arkansas Hospice Russellville home-based office and the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home. Deyta introduced its Hospice Honors Award program last year, making Arkansas Hospice Russellville one of the first in the country to receive the honor.

Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas Volunteer Hospice Heart Award
Sandy Isom, a volunteer at Arkansas Hospice’s Conway office, received the Volunteer Hospice Heart Award. The award is presented each year at the HPCAA’s Partners in Care Conference.

Arkansas Health Care Association Volunteer of the Year
Lucy Star Walker, one of Arkansas Hospice’s certified therapy dogs, was the first therapy dog to ever be chosen as a Volunteer of the Year by the Arkansas Health Care Association. Lucy, a Petite Goldendoodle, is certified by Therapy Dogs International and was nominated by Cabot Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she and owner Susan Walker visit each week.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Division of Arkansas Hospice won two Diamond Awards, one for the Arkansas Hospice 2012 Annual Report and another for a feature story on Sarah Kempker, an Arkansas Hospice patient who served as a bombardier during World War II. A certificate of excellence also was awarded in the Foundation category for the 2013 end-of-year solicitation.

2013 Awards

Arkansas Business 9th Annual Best of Business Awards Winner – Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization 
Arkansas Hospice was named the Best Nonprofit/Charitable Organization in the Arkansas Business 9th Annual Best of Business Awards.

Arkansas Business Winner – Nonprofit CFO of the Year
Arkansas Hospice Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kathy Jones was named the 2013 Arkansas Business Nonprofit CFO of the Year at a ceremony on November 6.

Deyta Hospice Honors Award 
Arkansas Hospice Russellville was named as a recipient of the Hospice Honors Award given by Deyta, a data-gathering company that partners with thousands of hospice, home health, human services and other healthcare organizations.

Arkansas Hospital Association Diamond Awards
The Media Department of Arkansas Hospice won two Diamond Awards, one for the Arkansas Hospice 2011 Annual Report and another in the total campaign category for A Fair to Remember.

Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas Volunteer Hospice Heart Award
Paula Coan, a volunteer for Arkansas Hospice’s Russellville office, received the Volunteer Hospice Heart Award for the second year in a row.