A deal meant to keep home health and hospice care afloat in eastern North Carolina could put about 160 jobs at risk, according to new reporting on April 8, 2026. ECU Health plans to sell its home health and hospice division to Liberty Home Care & Hospice, a move that covers home-based services across eastern North Carolina, including ECU Health’s Service League Hospice House in Greenville, as the system shifts its focus back toward core hospital operations. Officials say the goal is to preserve access to care even as the home-based unit has been losing money.
ECU Health first announced on March 5 that it had reached an agreement to transfer its Home Health and Hospice operations to Liberty, pitching the partnership as a way to keep community care sustainable over the long haul, according to ECU Health. The sale still needs a green light from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, and both organizations have said they will work to avoid disrupting patient scheduling and services while the deal is under review.
What Liberty Will Take Over
Under the proposed transition, Liberty would assume four home health offices in Greenville, Windsor, Washington and Kenansville, along with hospice sites in Greenville, Ahoskie and Kenansville, plus the Service League of Greenville Hospice House, local coverage has noted. WITN reports the handoff is expected to roll out in phases so patients should see continuity of care even as administrative and scheduling duties shift to Liberty.
Job Impact And Financial Strain
The Triangle Business Journal reported on April 8 that roughly 160 ECU Health team members are tied to the home-based business and that the operation has posted multimillion-dollar losses in recent years. Those financial pressures helped push ECU Health to seek a buyer, the outlet noted. The report also raises an uncomfortable question for staff: whether Liberty will keep most of those workers or seek reductions as part of any restructuring that could follow regulatory approval.
Who Is Liberty Home Care & Hospice
Liberty Home Care & Hospice describes itself as a family-owned regional provider with more than 150 years of history serving the Carolinas, and says it will bring its own staffing model to the eastern North Carolina operations. Industry coverage notes that Liberty has expanded by acquiring local agencies and positioning itself to scale services in rural markets; see HomeCare Magazine for background reporting.
Next Steps And Oversight
The deal remains under review by the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, and until that process is complete, the final timeline and any staffing changes are still unknown, ECU Health said in its announcement. ECU Health also said it plans to support affected team members, while Liberty has outlined transition opportunities within its staffing model for employees who may move over.
Why This Matters Locally
Home health and hospice services are a lifeline for many older and rural residents in eastern North Carolina, and consolidation in this corner of health care has become more common as providers wrestle with tighter reimbursements and workforce shortages, analysts say. Hospice News notes demographic trends that make stable home-based care increasingly important, and the outcome of the state’s review will determine whether this sale shores up those services or leaves new gaps for patients who rely on in-home visits at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
