About Us

Who we are: A charitable organization
based on strengthening end of life care.

APPEL stands for “Avery Partnership for People at the End of Life.” The organization, originally begun in 1984 as “Hospice and Palliative Care of Avery County,” shifted its role when it decided, in 2009, to turn over the clinical care of hospice patients to Medi Home Hospice.

That decision, a difficult one for the board, came about primarily because of the increasing cost and complexity of hospice care and the desire to keep hospice care available and affordable for people in our area. The success of Medi Home Hospice in delivering high quality care to patients in Avery County and expanding care into adjoining areas has affirmed the board’s decision and created broader opportunities to make a difference.

Rather than bringing the organization to a close, the board felt that the knowledge and experience it had gained across 25 years of caring could bring a larger dimension to hospice in our region. As a non-profit, volunteer-driven and donation-reliant organization, our mission became:

To work with citizens, agencies and organizations, through education and research, to provide resources for the emotional, spiritual and financial support of people facing the end of life.