Two area hospitals, CarolinaEast Health System in New Bern, and Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City, came together earlier this year to provide a one-time donation totaling $750,000 to help fund construction of the SECU Crystal Coast Hospice House.

These gifts represent the second largest commitment to the facility after the State Employees' Credit Union Foundation's (SECU) grant of $1 million. "The Crystal Coast Hospice House (CCHH) organization has clearly and persuasively defined the urgent need for this inpatient hospice facility on the Crystal Coast and we are pleased to make this one-time contribution toward its construction," said Dick Brvenik, President and CEO of Carteret General Hospital.

"These generous and welcomed gifts demonstrate the dedication of both hospitals to providing a complete continuum of health care to our community," said Sarah Strange, president of CCHH. "We are truly grateful for their gift to build the facility which will fill a health care gap in our area."

Each hospital will be recognized for their gift with a naming plaque on each Patient Wing – CarolinaEast on the six suite Acute Care Wing and Carteret General Hospital, joined by the members of Fort Benjamin Commons LLC, on the four suite Residential Care Wing.

"We are pleased to join with Carteret General Hospital and the Crystal Coast Hospice House through this investment in the construction of the area's first inpatient hospice facility," said Ray Leggett, President and CEO of CarolinaEast. "There is an identified need for 17 acute care hospice beds in our region and this facility will begin to address that void very soon."

Since these gifts, the hospice house has now received $4.2 million (as of 4/12/12) in funding commitments toward the construction of the inpatient hospice facility. "We are honored and grateful that these two hospitals have come forth with this level of contribution," said Dale Britt, co-chair of the CCHH Capital Campaign. "Rising construction and start up costs have increased the budget for the project since our initial estimates. While we still have a ways to go, these contributions, combined with SECU and others among our community, have a significant impact on our effort to raise the nearly $5 million needed to construct a turnkey facility and provide for maintenance, start up and program costs as the facility opens."

A groundbreaking is set for May 22, 2012, and Capital Development Services is very pleased to have provided campaign consulting services to plan and implement the work of this campaign.