HAN Welcomes New Interns focusing on Grief

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Hospice Action Network welcome Graciela and Nathan, our new interns. They have joined our team to develop resources to support hospice and palliative care providers and patients experiencing grief as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Graciela Rayome is a second-year Master of Public Health candidate at the University of Delaware with a concentration in Health Policy and Management.…

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Hospice Priorities for Fall 2021

As the beltway is entrenched in a busy time of the year, focusing on a big infrastructure and reconciliation package, funding the government and raising the debt-ceiling, the Hospice Action Network is working closely with the hospice and palliative care champions on the Hill, and within the Department of Health and Human Services, to advance…

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Access to Palliative Care Poised to Grow

Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and to facilitate patient autonomy, access to information and choice. Right now, Medicare beneficiaries are in need, because they cannot access…

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Hospice Policy Landscape: Look Back, Look Forward

A Look Back at 2020  2020 presented a year of challenges, dominated by the COVID-19 Pandemic and with the staunch support of hospice and palliative care advocates, the Hospice Action Network worked tirelessly to ensure that hospices have the resources they need to continue to provide high quality care during this public health emergency.  On March 27, 2020, the House passed…

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Bereavement in Grieving Black Communities

Black communities are grieving. They have been hit doubly hard in recent months, first by COVID-19, which takes black lives at two times the rate it kills white people, and then by the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbrey, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. While much of the country is still under stay-at-home orders, and many…

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HAN Welcomes Lucy Schmitz

HAN welcomes Lucy Schmitz as the new Advocacy and Grassroots Specialist. A note from Lucy: I am thrilled to join the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Hospice Action Network (HAN) as the new Advocacy and Grassroots Specialist. In this role, I look forward to working with care providers, partner organization, and…

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CALL TO ACTION: COVID 4.0

For the past several months, the Hospice Action Network (HAN) has been working tirelessly with Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House on implementing safeguards and policies that will support hospice providers and the patients and families they serve. The…

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My Hospice: Elaine’s Story

What My Hospice means is different to each individual and family. For Elaine, it means giving back to an organization that cared for her mother, who could experience a family wedding thanks to hospice. Story submitted by Faith Hospice in Grand Rapids, Michigan: Elaine has been with us since early 2018, serving in a variety…

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My Hospice: Angel’s Story

What My Hospice means is different to each individual and family we serve. For Volunteer Manager Angel Gregory, it means working with volunteers to create special, one-of-a-kind treasures for bereaved families. Village Hospice began serving a patient on Christmas Eve; he died on Christmas Day, surrounded by a loving family. In February, our Bereavement Counselor,…

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