After recently losing her husband, Glenna Ragan recognized the need for hospice care in the Harrison area. Soon after, while dining at a downtown restaurant, she overheard two women at a nearby table conferring the need for a hospice. She introduced herself to Peggy Witty and Cloteen Cowan. Together they discussed what they felt was an important cause.

Soon after their chance meeting, Glenna, Peggy and Cloteen began gathering supporters. In 1992 Hospice of the Hills was formed as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The early Board of Directors consisted of; Carolyn Thomason, Cloteen Cowan, Kathryn Cavert, Peggy Witty, Pat Andrews, Debbie Andrews, Marie Thompson, Ernestine Smith, Jim Goldie, Betty Breit Barker, John Marrs, Dr. Mahlon Maris, Dr. Joe Bennett, Mary Walling, and Glenna Ragan who acted as the organizations first President. The newly organized board worked diligently educating the community and holding fundraisers. In May of 1992 the Board requested becoming an umbrella organization under North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) in Harrison. This would help to better serve patients enabling them to bill some services to Medicare. On Thursday, August 20, 1992, the NAMC board approved Hospice of the Hills joining the Hospital under the Home Health division. On May 28, 1993, Hospice of the Hills accepted it’s first patient.

Local Hospice volunteers began discovering terminally ill people through out the rural area living in unbelievably horrible conditions. In one case a volunteer found a dying woman living alone in a home in rural Arkansas with no running water or electricity. Another was in severe pain and was not getting her pain medication because her drug addicted son was stealing them from her for his own use. In 2005 Hospice volunteers appealed to people of the community for help. They responded to the cry for help in a dramatic fashion. One volunteer contacted a local businessman and asked if he would help by organizing a plan to buy or build a hospice house. He put together a small group of people who worked with county leaders. The decision was made to build after Boone County donated the land for the current site 

The newly organized group then contacted North Arkansas College, who had recently closed their construction class, but agreed to bring it back to help build the Hospice House. Subsequently, 25 local business owners were invited to lunch and told our story, which was first met with total silence. Then one brave merchant spoke up to donate a doorknob. Next, a few 2 X 4's were offered. Then the floodgates of generosity were opened and the giving hasn’t stopped. Little did we know that this would be the only Hospice House of its kind. In August of 2007, construction was completed on the much needed Hospice House thanks to one small town that came together to meet the needs of the dying and their families. The first patient was taken into the House in September of the same year. Since that time, Hospice of the Hills has continued to grow and fulfill the needs of the terminally ill and their families. Plans are now in the works to expand the House.

The philosophy of Hospice of the Hills began, and has always been, to help patients and families with end of life care, regardless of the ability to pay. Through the generous contributions of our community we have been able to do so for over 15 years.