With 1,800 Veterans Dying Each Day, NHPCO Awards Grants Improving Care

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has awarded nine $5,000 grants aimed at improving access to hospice care for Veterans at the end of life. Grant recipients are state hospice and palliative care organizations in the Carolinas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, and New York. These state organizations will work with Hospice-Veterans Partnerships to assess the needs of dying Veterans and provide hospice education and outreach.

Many Americans are unaware that more than 50,000 Veterans die each month; that’s roughly 28% of all deaths in the United States. Ensuring that all Veterans receive compassionate, quality care at the end-of-life is a priority of NHPCO and the Veterans Administration Hospice and Palliative Care Initiative. Hospice-Veterans Partnerships are important components of the VAHPC.

Launched in 2001, the VAHPC addresses the needs of terminally ill Veterans and their families and was initially supported by a grant of $200,000 from NHPCO and the Center for Advanced Illness Coordinated Care. NHPCO continues its support of this important initiative by awarding these new grants to state organizations. Hospice-Veterans Partnerships represent the collaborative efforts of hospice providers, state hospice organizations, VA professionals, and other groups interested in the care of Veterans. Goals of Veterans’ end- of-life outreach include:

* Improving Veterans’ access to hospice and palliative care ensuring that Veterans receive hospice care at the time and place of need;

* Strengthening the relationships between community hospice providers and VA facilities; and

* Creating comprehensive end-of-life community engagement designed to reach Veterans.

Of the many veteran deaths taking place every day in this country, only four percent occur in VA facilities. Approximately 85 percent are receiving end-of-life care outside of the VA health care system. "Veterans usually spend the end of their lives in the communities where they live, receiving care from community providers," commented J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD, NHPCO president and CEO. "Outreach to Veterans through Hospice-Veterans Partnerships is an important way to reach a large population of Americans that can benefit from hospice and palliative care."

Hospice care is part of the basic eligibility package for Veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration. Hospice services also are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, and HMOs. However, most Veterans don’t know that these options exist.

For hospice information, visit http://www.hospiceinfo.org or call NHPCO’s HelpLine 800-658-8898.

CONTACT: Jon Radulovic, Vice President, Communications of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, +1-703-837-3139 or Email: jradulovic@nhpco.org

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization