A Legacy of Compassion

Co-Founders Dee Brazil-Dale and Michael Aureli

From its humble beginnings to the present, Arkansas Hospice has – through a sense of hard work, care and compassion – built a strong, trusted reputation throughout Arkansas.

Our roots go back to a day in 1983 when a young man named Michael Aureli wrapped his mother – who suffered from ovarian cancer – in a blanket and carried her to an emergency room, only to hear, “There is nothing more we can do for you.” Years later, Michael and his colleague Dee Brazil-Dale would go on to become the founders of Arkansas Hospice.

With the help of other concerned citizens, Michael and Dee formed a grass-roots movement focused on building a strong, nonprofit organization that would help Arkansans with life-limiting illnesses live their final days in dignity and comfort.

Those efforts resulted in Arkansas Hospice being incorporated in the state of Arkansas as a private, not-for-profit organization on January 17, 1992. It is classified federally as a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

Arkansas Hospice made history again in February 2000 when it opened the first hospice inpatient center in Arkansas in a leased wing of the Eugene Towbin Healthcare Center at Fort Roots in North Little Rock.

As for Michael Aureli, he served as the president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Hospice from May 1995 to June 2011, when he passed away at the age of 61 as a patient of the program he helped create. Dee Brazil-Dale retired as executive director of the Arkansas Hospice Foundation and vice president of development for Arkansas Hospice in 2006.

The organization is currently led by Judith S. Wooten, who was named president and CEO of Arkansas Hospice on July 28, 2011.

Since its start, Arkansas Hospice has grown from one location in North Little Rock to 13 locations that touch more than 45 counties. With its corporate office at 14 Parkstone Circle in North Little Rock, Arkansas Hospice is now the largest, non-profit hospice organization in the state.

Key events in our history

  • 1992: The not-for-profit organization that will become Arkansas Hospice was incorporated in the state of Arkansas.
  • 1998: Arkansas Hospice began providing hospice care in patients’ homes, including upon hospital discharges.
  • 2000: Arkansas Hospice opened the first inpatient hospice facility in Arkansas in a leased wing of the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center at Fort Roots in North Little Rock.
  • 2002: Michael Aureli, founding CEO of Arkansas Hospice, was named Non-Profit Executive of the Year by Arkansas Business.
  • 2004: Arkansas Hospice was named Non-Profit Organization of the Year by Arkansas Business.
  • 2007: Arkansas Hospice became the 55th hospice in the United States and England, and the only one in Arkansas, to adopt a partner hospice in Africa – Seke Rural Community Hospice in Zimbabwe.
  • 2007: Judy Wooten, VP and Chief Operating Officer, achieves the status of Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)
  • 2010 – 2020: Arkansas Hospice’s marketing team wins a total of 28 Diamond Awards from the Arkansas Hospital Association for excellence in healthcare communications.
  • 2011: Michael V. Aureli, founding CEO of Arkansas Hospice and passionate advocate for quality end-of-life care, passed away in the care of the hospice he loved on June 28, 2011. Judith S. Wooten (“Judy”), who had served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2002, was named President and CEO one month later.
  • 2013: Arkansas Hospice served the state’s first pediatric concurrent care patient.
  • 2013: Arkansas Hospice Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kathy Jones, was named Nonprofit CFO of the year by Arkansas Business.
  • 2013 – 2020: Each of Arkansas Hospice’s three Medicare certification numbers wins the Hospice Honors Elite and/or Hospice Honors awards in multiple years from HEALTHCAREfirst based on our family satisfaction scores on the Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.
  • 2014: Judy Wooten is named chair of the Arkansas Hospital Association Metro Council.
  • 2015: Arkansas Palliative Care was formed to increase access to palliative care for seriously ill Arkansans. Palliative care is a unique specialty for patients of any age and any stage with serious illness that can be provided in conjunction with curative treatment.
  • 2015 – 2021: Additional resources were committed to minority outreach for the hospice benefit. A comprehensive survey in Clark and Jefferson counties was conducted in order to develop more precision and effective messaging to African American and other communities. A minority outreach coordinator was added to extend the message in community and civic forums, as well as several ad campaigns were developed and launched. A series of minority outreach webinars, “Black, Brown and the Challenge of Dying Well” was launched, with CE credits available for nurses, social workers, and nursing home administrators.
  • 2016: Arkansas Palliative Care launched its first inpatient palliative care consult service at Unity Health in Searcy and continues that service today.
  • 2017: Brian Bell, Arkansas Hospice Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, was recruited to serve as Co-Chair on the Governor’s Quality of Life and Palliative Care Taskforce, as well as a member of the Arkansas POLST Committee.
  • 2018: Judy Wooten was elected President of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas (HPCAA), a position which she still holds. 
  • 2019: Arkansas Hospice was one of only nine inaugural hospices in the nation, and the only one in Arkansas, to achieve Level 5 in the We Honor Veterans program. We Honor Veterans (WHV) is jointly sponsored by the Veterans Administration and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization to increase access and address the special needs of veterans facing end-of-life.  Level 5 is the highest level WHV partners can attain.
  • 2019: Judy Wooten, Arkansas Hospice President and CEO, was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). 
  • 2020: Arkansas Hospice was named one of the 2020 Best Places to Work in Arkansas, by Arkansas Business.
  • 2020: Brian Bell, Arkansas Hospice Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
  • 2020: Judy Wooten, Arkansas Hospice President and CEO, was awarded the 2020 American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Regent’s Award for a Senior Level Healthcare Executive for leadership and healthcare excellence at the state and national level.
  • 2022: Arkansas Hospice acquired First Choice Senior Care, which provides non-medical care to elderly clients in Central Arkansas.
  • 2023: Arkansas Advanced Care was formed on March 1, 2023, to create a continuum of care and provide primary care for seniors, where they live.
  • 2023: LifeTouch Hospice, a nonprofit provider based in southern Arkansas, joined the Arkansas Hospice Family of Care, which includes Arkansas Hospice, Arkansas Palliative Care, Arkansas Advanced Care and First Choice Senior Care. 

To see a slideshow featuring milestones from Arkansas Hospice’s first 30 years, please click here. 

 

A historical look back

By Dee Brazil-Dale, Arkansas Hospice Co-Founder

As I look back to the beginning of Arkansas Hospice in 1992 and the astonishing journey that brought us to the thriving, mission-driven organization we are today, I think of the famous quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, dedicated citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Arkansas Hospice began with the vision of a small group of citizens who wanted to improve end-of-life care by establishing the first inpatient hospice facility in our state. Hospice facilities existed in many states and we were determined to bring this much-needed service to Arkansas to serve hospice patients who could not be cared for at home due to complicated symptoms or lack of a caregiver.

In 1993, Carol Lord led the efforts to pull together a group of community leaders who shared this vision and would serve as founding board members. In 1994, a not-for-profit foundation was formed to raise funds to build an inpatient hospice facility. Michael Aureli was appointed president of the foundation and I was appointed development director. In 1995, the hospice agency associated with the foundation became a privately owned, for-profit entity. The not-for-profit foundation’s mission changed to support care for the terminally ill throughout the state and to open a hospice facility that would be available to all in need. The foundation name changed to Hospice Foundation of Arkansas.

With limited financial resources, we set out on our own to create this service — as Michael said — “from scratch.” Gail Cardwell joined us in our small office as manager, so now we were a team of three with a plan to get other jobs if our funds ran out in the coming months. We would then, with our Board, move forward as volunteers.

During those lean years, we served the hospice community by establishing an AIDs education program across the state; implemented the Hospice Heart Awards; helped form a statewide coalition of 27 healthcare providers, Arkansans for Better Care at the End of Life, and assisted in many other activities to support the statewide hospice community.

Meanwhile, efforts to raise funds for the building and to obtain permits were not successful. Legislation was introduced that would prevent licensure of hospice beds and Medicare passed a law that only hospice home care providers could operate inpatient hospices. By 1997, our Board was exhausted from years of fundraising efforts. Michael was faced with telling me and Gail to look for other jobs. That’s when a remarkable event occurred: a college student came by selling wind chimes to fund her schooling. Michael admired her grit and, although he thought $14 was overpriced, he purchased the wind chime. As the student left, she said, “It will bring you luck.”

Michael told the story so eloquently of how this wind chime, which still hangs in our office, became a symbol of hope and inspiration to the entire Arkansas Hospice family. When the student left, Michael prayed. He humbly asked for divine help to make this service a reality. The next day, we received a large grant from The Daughters of Charity, which sparked fundraising efforts and re-energized our team.

Providential help continued. The Permit of Approval deadline was March 2000 — not enough time to build the hospice. Dr. Eugene Towbin offered a leased wing within the Eugene J. Towbin Veterans Affairs Hospital in North Little Rock. This inpatient hospice facility — the first of its kind in Arkansas — opened in February 2000, just one month before the permit expired.

The dream of a few dedicated people was now a reality; hospice patients needing this special service came from all across the state and the path was now open for other hospices to follow. With Michael’s leadership, an inspired team and community support, Arkansas Hospice grew to its present-day prominence.

Shortly before Michael passed away, we reminisced by telephone on this remarkable history; I can still hear him say, “Dee, we had a good ride didn’t we?” Yes, and I feel so richly blessed to have been a part of it.

 

To see our leadership, click here.

To see a slideshow featuring milestones from Arkansas Hospice’s first 30 years, please click here. 

The Arkansas Hospice Family of Care
14 Parkstone Circle | North Little Rock, AR 72116
(501) 748-3333 or Toll Free (877) 713-2348
contactus@arkansashospice.org
Arkanas Hospice Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 71-0846826