AHHC honors North Carolina home care and hospice leaders at 2026 awards

By AI, Created 10:19 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina recognized seven people at its 2026 H.O.M.E. Awards during the group’s annual convention in Raleigh/Durham. The honors spotlight clinical leadership, workforce development and caregiving in a sector that serves patients and families across the state.

Why it matters: - The H.O.M.E. Awards highlight the workers and family caregivers who keep home care, home health and hospice services running in North Carolina. - The awards also point to bigger pressures in the field, including workforce development, dementia care, transitional care and support for complex patients.

What happened: - The Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina held its 2026 H.O.M.E. Awards at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel during the 54th Annual AHHC Convention & Expo. - Tim Rogers, AHHC president and CEO, presented the honors. - AHHC said H.O.M.E. stands for Honoring Outstanding Merit and Excellence. - The awards recognized seven honorees across leadership, nursing, physician service, nurse aide service, volunteer service and family caregiving.

The details: - Gwen Whitley, immediate past president and CEO of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, received the Ellen B. Winston Award for lifetime dedication to home care and hospice. - Whitley rose from clinical director of intake to CEO and expanded services across southeastern North Carolina. - Whitley spearheaded the LifeCare Memory Partners program for people with dementia. - Lower Cape Fear LifeCare earned a Five-Star Medicare Rating under Whitley’s leadership, and AHHC said only 8% of hospices nationwide hold that distinction. - AHHC described Whitley as a leader known for a people-first culture and an ongoing advocacy role in retirement. - April Blizzard, RN, BSN, CHPN, of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, received the first Kathie C. Smith Career Advancement Award. - The award honors Kathie C. Smith, AHHC’s longtime senior vice president of home care and state relations. - Blizzard moved from medical records into CNA, LPN and RN roles over 30 years. - Blizzard earned her BSN and CHPN certification while working full time and caring for her parents during serious illness. - Blizzard now supports more than 200 clinical staff and manages a Nurse Aide Training Program. - Michelle White, DNP, RN, CNL, director of home and transitional care at Cone Health Home Care Providers, was named Nurse of the Year. - AHHC recognized White for clinical leadership, transitional care services, training curricula and workforce development advocacy. - Ben Thompson, MD, national medical director for workforce development and strategy at Gentiva Hospice, received Physician of the Year. - Thompson founded the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Virtual Didactic Series and a regional fellowship program. - Those programs are designed to prepare physicians to serve patients with complex needs, including people facing homelessness or substance use disorders. - Kiara Gaston, CNA I and home health aide at Gentiva Hospice, was named Nurse Aide of the Year. - AHHC highlighted Gaston’s role in coordinating a final visit for two sisters in hospice care. - Gaston is also balancing her work with prerequisites for an Associate Degree in Nursing and her CHPNA certification. - Charles Carter, a hospice volunteer with Hospice of the Piedmont, received Volunteer of the Year. - Carter has served his community for more than two decades. - In 2025 alone, Carter drove more than 7,300 miles to help patients with errands, home maintenance and companionship. - Lisa Stewart-Ray, nominated by Duke Home Care & Hospice, was recognized as Family Caregiver of the Year. - Stewart-Ray cared for her aging parents while managing multiple sclerosis and dialysis care needs. - Stewart-Ray trained herself to operate specialized medical equipment so her parents could stay at home.

Between the lines: - The awards put a spotlight on career pathways in home and hospice care, not just bedside service. - Several honorees were recognized for training, mentoring or building programs that could influence the pipeline of future workers. - The list of honorees also shows how home and hospice care increasingly overlaps with dementia support, chronic illness management and family caregiving at home.

What’s next: - AHHC directed readers to the full press release for more information. - The recognition is likely to continue reinforcing recruitment, retention and training efforts across North Carolina’s home and hospice sector.

The bottom line: - AHHC used its annual awards to celebrate individual excellence and to underscore how dependent North Carolina’s care system is on skilled clinicians, volunteers and family caregivers.