NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Advocates of Alive Hospice are celebrating Tuesday night after the board voted not to sell the nonprofit to a for-profit company.
Leadership previously refused to confirm the rumored sale to a for-profit company, but NewsChannel 5 Investigates confirmed Tuesday the board voted to keep it a nonprofit.
"The Alive Board of Directors has determined that Alive will remain a not-for-profit, independent organization providing hospice, palliative care and mission-based support services to people across Middle Tennessee," the board said in a statement. "This decision follows several months of working with third-party advisors to explore the industry and local dynamics that will impact Alive’s operations in the years ahead, from reimbursement changes to labor shortages and rising costs to privatization and consolidation across healthcare."
Meanwhile, those who were working to stop the sale of the nonprofit were also concerned about the organization's latest effort to raise money.
For the last 15 years, Alive Hospice has held an annual Butterfly Release where families can set butterflies free in honor of loved ones who have passed. It's one of the nonprofit's bigger fundraisers.
"They want you to give some money to support the cause," former Congressman Jim Cooper said.
This year's Butterfly Release is set for Saturday, June 10.
And Cooper, whose first wife died two years ago under the care of Alive, was invited.
"It’s a wonderful event and normally I would support something like this," Cooper told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
But Cooper was previously alarmed by rumors that Alive's board was planning to sell the nearly 50-year-old nonprofit. Like others who have spoken out against the sale, Cooper believes dying patients and their families would suffer significantly, that some patients including those with cancer could be turned away, and that the downtown residence might be closed and the property sold.
"Meanwhile, they’ve been fundraising as if they intend to continue being a nonprofit," Cooper said.
The former Nashville politician said he was shocked at the time that Alive sent out some 10,000 invitations to the butterfly fundraiser that clearly identify Alive Hospice as a 501c3 organization, promoting its charitable status and encouraging people to make tax-deductible donations. This is all while the sale of Alive again to a for-profit entity has reportedly been in the works for months.
"It’s false pretenses and it’s completely misleading," Cooper suggested.
Cooper said he recently filed a complaint with the U.S. Postal Service alleging mail fraud, and he wants the Tennessee Attorney General to enforce the state's ban on misleading charitable solicitations. It's not clear what will happen to that complaint now that no sale of the nonprofit is happening.
"Under Tennessee law, there is a provision that says a $5,000 fine for each violation: 10,000 invitations times $5000. That’s a $50 million problem we’ve got right here," Cooper figured.
Meanwhile longtime Nashville fundraiser Whitney Daane — who'd agreed to chair the Butterfly Release — pulled out of the event prior to the board's decision.
"I felt that I really couldn’t in good faith continue to raise money until I knew exactly what was going on," Daane said.
She'd already had her sister who does butterfly paintings do the artwork for the invitations, and her sister had also agreed to donate some of her larger pieces to major donors.
But Daane said when she asked friends to make large donations, they know she believes in the cause. And because Alive administrators refuse to share any information about their plans for the organization, Daane said she just doesn't feel confident right now about its future.
"When I realized I was going to have to remove my name from the event and not participate and not move forward, it was completely heartbreaking. Disappointing doesn’t even begin to cover it," Daane said.
Prior to the board's decision, the grassroots efforts to keep alive a nonprofit continued. Cooper confirmed he was working with lawyers, hoping to get some sort of emergency injunction or court order to stop the board vote on the sale. With the board's decision to keep it a nonprofit, that now won't be necessary.
"This (the sale) is wrong. We’ve got to stop it. We’ve gotta stop it now," Cooper emphasized.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill came out publicly against the sale in a letter to the Tennessee Attorney General urging him to stop Alive Hospice from being sold to a for-profit entity.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates also learned that Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant joined the efforts to stop the sale. Yearwood has signed a similar letter being sent to the AG by Nashville songwriters while Grant has signed the online petition started by the group, Keep Alive Alive.
ALIVE HOSPICE STATEMENT:
I know that you have been following news related to Alive. In light of this, I would like to share the below update and statement with you from the Alive Board of Directors.
The Alive Board of Directors has determined that Alive will remain a not-for-profit, independent organization providing hospice, palliative care and mission-based support services to people across Middle Tennessee. This decision follows several months of working with third-party advisors to explore the industry and local dynamics that will impact Alive’s operations in the years ahead, from reimbursement changes to labor shortages and rising costs to privatization and consolidation across healthcare.
Securing the future of Alive for the long term will require a significant investment of time, expertise and resources of our community, and we are planning to solicit feedback from the community to engage Middle Tennesseans in this effort. The last several weeks have demonstrated how much Middle Tennesseans truly care about Alive and are committed to supporting its mission.
The Board recognizes the recent outpouring of care Alive has received. However, we also have been dismayed by the circulation of false reports and incomplete information that have only hurt Alive, its staff and the people they serve. The Alive Board is made up of volunteers who dedicate their time and passion to Alive. They would never do anything to hurt or jeopardize Alive’s future and ability to serve the community.
We look forward to moving past this difficult chapter and engaging with members of the community to better understand what they value in Alive and seek their ongoing support for its growth. We are hopeful that we can harness the community’s energy and passion in tangible and constructive ways to ensure Alive continues to be the community asset it has been since 1975.
