Susan Langdon lit a candle last week in memory of her father, Barry Harris, during a celebration of life ceremony. Harris spent his final days at the Bedford Hospice House, and the organization gathered at the local library to honor residents who died in 2025.
As Langdon walked out of the memorial service, she learned the news: The Centra-owned residential hospice house will close April 15, citing financial challenges at the rural four-bed facility.
“It was tough being at the ceremony and then seeing the letter that they will be closing. … It’s really sad,” Langdon said.
Centra declined an interview but provided a written statement.
“Operating costs at the Bedford Hospice House have continually exceeded revenues and donations for several years,” according to the statement.
Amy Merrill Willis, board president for Friends of Bedford Hospice House, the facility’s nonprofit fundraising arm, said Centra leadership also referenced staffing challenges.
The community originally raised more than $1.6 million to design and build the freestanding hospice house, which opened in 2011. Regulatory licensing changes forced it to close shortly after opening.
In 2016, the Friends of Bedford Hospice House entered an agreement with Centra to purchase and operate the facility as a hospital-based hospice house. Under that partnership, it reopened in 2017.
Since then, the hospice house has served 274 patients.
Patients could use Medicare and Medicaid for treatment at the hospice house, but the public health insurance did not cover room and board. Friends of Bedford Hospice House helped recruit volunteers and has donated $420,000 to Centra since 2017 to support patients who qualified for financial assistance, according to Merrill Willis.
The board of directors of the Friends of Bedford Hospice House hopes that another provider will consider a partnership that would allow services to continue in the future, according to Merrill Willis.
“Several members of the board were people who were involved in the creation of the hospice house or their parents were involved in the initial fundraising. So we have deep roots in this community,” said Merrill Willis. “We know that the need is here and we know that we’ve had an impact with the hospice house in the past.”
An uncertain future
After Centra closes the facility, Bedford County will take over ownership of the property, according to a press release from Friends of Bedford Hospice House. The board is seeking a new partner to reopen and operate the hospice house so it can continue serving the community.
While dozens of hospice agencies operate across Virginia, most provide in-home care. Relatively few offer residential hospice services, Merrill Willis said.
The Roanoke Valley got its first free-standing hospice house in 2024. Good Samaritan, a community-based nonprofit, has offered home-based hospice services throughout Southwest Virginia for 30 years. Opening a free-standing facility was one of the organization’s founding goals, but competition with for-profit in-home services made it difficult to save money for the project.
According to a 2020 poll, 7 in 10 Americans want to die at home. And a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that home is now the most common place of death in the United States. However, that model does not work for everyone.
When Harris reached the final stage of his cancer diagnosis, returning to his second-floor apartment was no longer an option. His children lived out of state or worked full time, leaving nursing home care or residential hospice as the only realistic choices.
Langdon felt relieved when she learned that a bed had opened up at the local hospice house. Harris moved into the home-like setting for about three weeks, where friends and family could visit easily while he received around-the-clock care.
“It takes a special person to work in a hospice environment,” Langdon said. “The staff supported the family just as much as they supported him.”
Questions about the transition
Centra has not publicly outlined a detailed transition plan for any remaining patients.
Merrill Willis said she asked Centra’s CEO whether leadership would keep the hospice house open as long as necessary to care for current patients.
“They said they would consider that request. But beyond that, I don’t really know what their plans are,” Merrill Willis said.
Centra did not provide any details about the transition in its statement, but noted that home-based hospice would still be available in Bedford.
“We recognize this decision is deeply disappointing and emotional for those impacted. Centra is working closely with providers, caregivers, patients and families to ensure a thoughtful and compassionate transition. Our focus remains on supporting current patients and helping connect them with appropriate hospice care options moving forward.”
In November, Centra also closed an adult day center in Bedford that provided services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Community members protested the closure, but the doors closed anyway.
“I know that we are in a difficult health care situation. [Centra’s CEO] reiterated that several times,” Merrill Willis said. “And yet, it’s got to be about more than the bottom line. We want to lift up the value of compassionate end-of-life care and care with dignity because all of us are going to need that at some point in our lives.”
A final view of the mountains
Harris, a lifelong Lynchburg resident, preferred receiving care at Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital.
A few days after Thanksgiving, his condition worsened, and his family knew that his lung cancer had entered its final stage. Although Centra Lynchburg General Hospital was closer, Harris insisted on going to Bedford to see his doctor.
His daughters drove him down U.S. 221. The route took longer, but it offered a clear view of the mountains he loved. He had spent many warm afternoons picnicking with his friends off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and his daughters thought this might be the last time he’d enjoy that view.
After doctors confirmed the diagnosis, they started transitioning Harris to the Bedford Hospice House.
From his room, Harris could see the mountains.
“The care he received was exactly what he needed,” Langdon said. “He had that dignity, you know, he was able to die with dignity. And they gave him as much independence that he could have. … They were calm and patient and caring.”