Nicole Arrington, NP has been with Centra for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience and compassion to her new role in the Home-Based Palliative Care Program. Beginning her career in 2000 as a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit, she later pursued a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner (NP). Nicole’s NP journey started in Centra’s emergency department in 2009, where she worked for several years before helping to establish the ED Observation Department where she spent eight years.
In July 2023, Nicole stepped away from healthcare to focus on herself and her family after years of balancing work, school and motherhood. “I am a working mom, married mother of two. I have two sons and spent a lot of time on the sidelines of lacrosse games, travel ball and regular season baseball,” she shared. “That’s where we spent the bulk of our time when I wasn’t working—and I’m a mom of dogs, so we had a pretty full schedule.”
When considering her return to work, the position in palliative care reignited her passion for meaningful, patient-centered care. “I wanted to come back to something meaningful, where I truly felt like I could make a difference and get to know patients on a different level,” Nicole explained. “When I found out this role was home-based, I was really excited—it felt like a brand-new opportunity. It stoked the fires of wanting to try something new, outside my immediate wheelhouse.”
As part of Centra’s Palliative Care Program, Nicole’s role focuses on meeting patients in their homes, providing care in their most comfortable and personal environment. “The overall driving force for me is really getting to know patients and meeting them where they are,” she shared. “Understanding the holistic person in front of me, digging into their needs. In this home program, I see patients where they’re most comfortable but also most vulnerable.”
Palliative care at Centra aims to help patients live their best lives despite illness or disease. While Centra already offers inpatient and outpatient palliative care services, the new home-based approach removes barriers to care by bringing services directly to patients. Nicole emphasized the value of this model: “It’s connecting with patients wherever they are in their disease trajectory. Whether it’s an acute cancer diagnosis, end-stage COPD or heart failure, we help palliate their symptoms, provide treatment and often serve as a bridge to Hospice as their condition progresses.”
This program works in tandem with Centra’s other palliative care initiatives, including Dr. Charles Iwuala’s efforts to expand services at CMG Supportive Care & Palliative Medicine, located at the Oak Vassar Medical Building and adjacent to Virginia Baptist Hospital. Together, these approaches allow Centra Palliative Care to better address the community’s needs. Referrals for the home-based program come from service lines such as oncology, cardiology, primary care and neurology. Patients are screened and consulted to determine how best to support their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs.
As the Home-Based Palliative Care Program begins to grow, Nicole is excited to contribute to this innovative service. Her background in intensive care and emergency settings has shaped her empathetic approach to care. “I’ve seen patients on the worst day of their lives,” she said. “We have to approach these situations with compassion and understanding. Every day that feels routine to us is not routine for the patients we’re caring for, and this program allows us to support for the whole person and truly make a difference.”
