Broadcast journalists Al Hunt and Judy Woodruff were honored recently by North Carolina for their work in health care.

Hunt and Woodruff, who are married, received the Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina “2009 Home Care Hero Award."

The famous couple are parents of a child with spina bifida and have a personal insight into the difficulties of keeping a disabled loved one at home.

Their son is currently a student at St. Andrews college in Laurinburg.

From challenges to health care access, to mobility, to qualified caregiver assistance, Hunt and Woodruff have worked tirelessly to advocate for changes in health care delivery. These changes would allow for choice in service provision whereby home care would be as equally available as institutional care. Highlighting the impact of home care for his son, Hunt stated, “Interim Healthcare has made it possible for my son to remain independent…and I thank them.”

During the presentation Hunt and Woodruff were recognized for their commitment to the day-to-day support and planning that allowed their son to attend St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina and reside in a dormitory. Moreover, they were honored for their contributions to education access and equal opportunity for the greater disabled community. A special note was made of their efforts to raise money and public awareness when a program for severely disabled students was facing closure due to financial shortfalls.

In speaking of the award, Woodruff stated about her son, “He’s the real hero here; he has to climb a mountain each morning before he even brushes his teeth.”

Hunt is Executive Editor of The Bloomberg News in Washington, D.C. and past moderator of the Sunday morning political talk-show, “The Capitol Hill Gang”. Woodruff is a senior correspondent for “the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS, based in Washington, D.C. Both are life-long journalists on the national stage.

Interim HealthCare of the Eastern Carolinas, Inc. is in its 25th year of business, operates eight home care agencies in Southeastern North Carolina, and is a leading franchise of Interim HealthCare, Inc., the oldest and largest combined proprietary home care and healthcare staffing company in the U.S.