Dr. William Dunlap

In addition, they would like to especially thank Paige Adams, Deb Michaels and Dr. William Dunlap, founder of Hospice of Wake County.

"Twenty-seven years ago, we were granted our first Certificate of Need, allowing Hospice of Wake County to operate as a home health agency," recalled Dr. Billy Dunlap, HoWC founder and Member of the Board of Directors.

Dr. William Dunlap knew that many of his patients who were facing death wanted to die in the peace of their own homes instead of in the sterile atmosphere of a hospital.
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So Dunlap became one of the founders of Hospice of Wake County to enable his patients to have a more comfortable passing.

It is this lifelong dedication to the needs of his patients that won Dunlap the Lifetime Achievement Award.

For as long as he can remember, Dunlap wanted to follow in his grandfather's footsteps.
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"We were reunited for a very pleasant reunion," recalls Dunlap."For her to remember my goal for over 50 years, I must have seemed pretty emphatic about my decision as a young child."

While Dunlap doesn't trade medical expertise for eggs or ride to a patient's house on his horse like his grandfather did, he does like to offer the same personal, intimate service for his patients.

"I'm sure it sounds corny, but I truly do enjoy helping people, and the interaction with patients and their families is quite rewarding," he says.

"Each patient presents a new challenge, and no two are exactly alike.Several times every day I am presented with a mystery which I must solve, and a lot rests on my ability to do so.I can't imagine a more interesting job."

In addition to being a founder of hospice, Dunlap is also a founding partner in Raleigh Medical Group, a multidisciplinary internal medicine group that has expanded with Cary Medical Group.

William M. DunlapOncologistRaleigh Medical Group

William DunlapRaleigh Medical Group

Speaking on behalf of the staff and Board of Directors of Hospice of Wake County, Dr. Billy Dunlap, one of the organization's founders and co-chair of Hospice's capital campaign with Smedes York, said, "We are extremely pleased with the commitment from the Pope Foundation toward our new facility.

1977 Dr. Billy Dunlap, a hematologist and oncologist in Raleigh, reads an article on the hospice movement.He realizes the need for services for terminal patients in the Triangle.
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1979 Hospice of Wake County (HOWC) is started by Dr. Dunlap, with one staff member and 20 volunteers.The first patient is admitted, a young child with leukemia.Five more patients are served that year.