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Veterans
News Flash
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
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