In September 2018, the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC of NC) and its charitable organization, the Hospice and Home Care Foundation of North Carolina (the Foundation), established a fund for disaster relief for home care & hospice employees in North and South Carolina whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Florence. Home Care, Home Health and Hospice nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, therapists, and administrators faced devastation in their personal lives while ensuring the well-being of their patients. Tax-deductible donations from around the country helped ease the burden faced by so many of our NC and SC Home Care & Hospice workers. We are pleased to report that $58,000 was raised and $58,000 was distributed to 180 employees working in home care & hospice in the Carolinas. 100% of ALL ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS were borne by the Association and the Foundation.

Thank you to everyone who donated and shared information about this important fund.

Judy Penn, Executive Director
Hospice & Home Care Foundation of NC

About AHHC of NC
About the Hospice and Home Care Foundation of NC

The Impact of Florence – Stories Shared by Home Care & Hospice Employees

“I have lots of interior water damage from the roof down into my 2nd story through to the garage and 2 upper rooms with roof and some floor damage as well as mold.  Insurance company has been contacted, I have 3200.00 deductible I cannot afford.  I have so far over 40 hours of lost wages lost food  and personal items.  I am already 1 house payment behind because I had to use that money to evacuate.  I am a single  mom of 3 younger kids and receive no child support or any other assistance.  With current situation I am in jeopardy of losing our home by not being able to pay all the bills.  Things were financially  tight before the storm and now I am in dire financial need...”

“Our pump house is fully submerged, so we are unsure of the extent of damage at this time as the water has remained standing during this time.  There are structures under my home that have been submerged in water for days.  Our electrical box to our septic tank is fully submerged, so we are unsure of the functionality of our septic system at this time.  We have tools in a building that has been waste deep for days that will need to be replaced.    My husband has also incurred lost wages x 7 days.”

“I evacuated and used my Whole paycheck for evacuation purposes. I have a bank statement to show for hotel use gas eating, etc I have a loss of Food and just need a little help to carry me into the next pay term. My car is Flooded, I do believe and I have a $500 deductible.”

“My home was flooded and is a complete loss which has displaced me, my husband and 2 children. We were only able to save children’s clothes and a few personal items. We are living with my parents until we can return.”

“During Hurricane Florence my 3 children (twins 1, son 8) and myself lost our home/ food and all personal belongings during the storm.”

“My home is less than 1/2 mile from the inter coastal way. I evacuated on September 11th. The only family I have is in Minnesota. So I packed my twins and my dog and drove to Minnesota. It took me 4 days, as I don’t have anyone to help. I just got back today, and have 2 weeks of income loss and an immense amount of cleaning up to do. I rent my home, and my deductible for a claim is more than my lost items are worth!”

Message from AHHC of NC's President and CEO, Tim Rogers:

"The great Peacemaker Mahatma Ghandi once said, 'Where There is Love There is Life' and 'The Best Way to Find Yourself is to Lose Yourself in the Service of Others.' These words are a testament to the creed that home care, home health and hospice & palliative care staff live by daily in the service of patients and their families. Now is the time to encircle one another, to lose ourselves in service, and to test our capacity to care for our peers. It is through these acts that we discover the true nature of our being and purpose, and the true essence of life and love."

For additional sources of relief, visit FEMA Disaster Assistance, FEMA Individual Disaster Assistance, www.readync.org, NC Dept of Public Safety Disaster Recovery, www.redcross.org, Financial Assistance for Organizations