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FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Jan. 21, 2025 – Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has implemented a new volunteer program focused on providing companionship to dying inpatients who do not have family or other loved ones able to be with the patient during the end of their life.

The No One Dies Alone (NODA) program originally began in 2021 at Sacred Heart Medical Centre in Eugene, Ore., and is now an international program that provides Compassionate Companions for dying individuals in hospitals who would otherwise die alone.

“Whether talking softly, playing relaxing music, or simply holding vigil, our NODA volunteers act as a reassuring presence at the bedside of the dying patient when no friends or family are available to be with them during their final days of life,” said NODA Coordinator and Nurse Educator Rachel Thurnher.

NODA volunteers are given specialized training in compassionate communication, comfort care, death and dying, health care ethics, and spiritual care. The training is held in the health system’s Simulation Lab and includes the opportunity to practice being a compassionate companion.

Volunteers who would like to join the NODA program can call 910.615.6783 or go to https://www.capefearvalley.com/volunteer-services for more information.

Media contact for Cape Fear Valley: Chaka Jordan, 910.615.6098 or cgjordan@capefearvalley.com.

About Cape Fear Valley Health System
Cape Fear Valley is a 1,000+ bed, 8-hospital regional health system, with more than 1 million inpatient and outpatient visits annually. A private not-for-profit organization with 8,000 employees and more than 1,000 providers on our medical staff, it includes Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, Cape Fear Valley Rehabilitation Center, Behavioral Health Care, Bladen County Hospital, Hoke Hospital, Health Pavilion North, Health Pavilion Hoke, Central Harnett Hospital and Betsy Johnson Hospital. For more information, visit www.CapeFearValley.com.