Arkansas Hospice Family of Care to become LifeTouch Health

North Little Rock, Ark. – Arkansas Hospice, the state’s largest non-profit provider of hospice services, announced today that its Family of Care is becoming LifeTouch Health. 

The new name will better reflect the nonprofit organization’s diversified service lines, said Dr. Brian Bell, President & CEO.

“Our name is evolving to better reflect that we are touching more lives in more ways,” Bell said. “This is the culmination of a lengthy process that began when we expanded our services in 2015 with the creation of Arkansas Palliative Care. Since then, our service lines continued to grow. Our new name puts all those vital services under one umbrella.”

The organization now provides a continuum of care with:

• Personal care providing in-home, non-medical support in Central Arkansas. This service was previously known as First Choice Senior Care.

• Primary care for seniors, where they live. This line of care has been known as Arkansas Advanced Care.

• Palliative Care for comfort and support beyond treatment at any age and stage of serious illness. This service was previously named Arkansas Palliative Care.

• Hospice care for patients and families when time may be limited. This line of care has been known as Arkansas Hospice.

The new name brand follows a nationwide trend, as organizations increase their options of care beyond hospice services, Bell said.

“We are one of many hospices across the country to make this type of change,” he said. “Not only does the new name better reflect our services, it also helps avoid the stigma of the word ‘hospice.’ Many Arkansans associate that word with the very end of life – especially the last few days or hours. As we saw with former President Jimmy Carter, enrolling in hospice care sooner can paradoxically often help patients live longer because their care is focused on comfort and dignity. We will certainly continue to offer end-of-life care, but now we can offer so much more to help our fellow Arkansans live better lives while dealing with serious illness or the natural effects of aging.” 

LifeTouch Health will continue to provide trusted care for patients and families across Arkansas, where they are, said David Edwards, Director of Communications.

“We care for patients not only wherever they are, but also at whatever stage of illness they might be experiencing,” Edwards said. “For example, many might not know that we care for patients of all ages, including children, or that patients receiving palliative care can continue curative treatment, such as chemotherapy. Plus, our team will come to you whether you live in your own home or a family member’s, an independent, assisted-living or long-term care center such as a nursing home, an inpatient setting or a contracted facility.”

While most of Arkansas Hospice’s patients have always been cared for in their homes, on their terms, that became even more important during the pandemic, Edwards said. He added that volunteer support is still welcome, especially for LifeTouch Health’s hospice service line.

Founded in 1992 by Michael Aureli and Dee Brazil-Dale, Arkansas Hospice opened the first hospice inpatient center in Arkansas in February 2000 at the Eugene Towbin Healthcare Center at Fort Roots in North Little Rock.  From these origins Arkansas Hospice grew into the organization it is today, providing care for more than 700 patients a day, primarily in their homes or places of residence. Now with a continuum of care including hospice, palliative, primary and personal care, LifeTouch Health touches the lives of nearly 2,000 people daily.

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 to become the state’s largest nonprofit hospice organization. Over the course of 33 years, the staff has built a foundation of service and award-winning care that will continue to guide LifeTouch Health for years to come.