WASHINGTON DC – Last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) – the co-chairs and co-founders of the bipartisan Senate Comprehensive Care Caucus – recognizing November 2023 as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Month honors the work and dedication of long-term and palliative care providers and volunteers, and the critical services they provide to families and their loved ones facing serious illnesses. This resolution is endorsed by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
“After caring for my own parents and in-laws as they aged, I know just how important the assistance of long-term and palliative care providers can be for families and caregivers,” dijo el Senador Rosen. “I’m glad to designate this year’s National Hospice and Palliative Care Month to honor and recognize the many contributions of palliative care providers and volunteers to our communities.”
“As a doctor, I have seen firsthand how important palliative care is for the comfort of patients and their families,” said Senator Barrasso. “Hospice gives patients the highest quality of comfort and care when they need it most. Our bipartisan resolution honors the hard work and dedication of hospice providers in Wyoming and across the country.”
“Having served as the primary caregiver for my grandmother as she aged, I know both the world of difference it makes in someone’s life to have compassionate palliative care and also how hard caregivers work,” said Senator Baldwin. “Every American deserves to age with dignity, and that includes having access to hospice and palliative care. I’m proud to honor National Hospice and Palliative Care Month alongside the advocates who are fighting to recognize the courageous work of caregivers and expand access to affordable care, so more families can rest assured their loved ones have the support they need as they age or battle serious illness.”
“National Hospice and Palliative Care Month raises awareness about the benefits this type of care can provide, and I’m pleased the Senate passed our resolution with unanimous support. Through our bipartisan work in the Comprehensive Care Caucus, we’ll continue to promote access to quality health care,” said Senator Fischer.
“Every year, over one million Americans rely on the Medicare Hospice Benefit which has been proven to increase beneficiary satisfaction and quality of life, improved pain control, and reduced physical and emotional distress,” said Ben Marcantonio, Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “This Senate Resolution recognizes the incredible hospice and palliative care providers across the country who work tirelessly to ensure patients experiencing serious illness and end-of-life care can live their lives to their fullest as comfortably as possible. Thank you to Senators Rosen, Barrasso, Baldwin, and Fischer for your leadership on this issue and to the Senate for supporting the hospice and palliative care community.”
“We strongly appreciate the leadership of Senators Rosen, Barrasso, Baldwin, and Fischer to recognize the need to improve serious illness care,” states Jon Broyles, CEO of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Illness. “As we work toward improvements in and expansion of hospice and palliative care programs, this resolution designating November 2023 as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is an important way to call attention to the need to support these critical programs providing palliative care and hospice to those will serious illness and their caregivers, delivered by interdisciplinary teams of skilled health care professionals.”
Senators Rosen, Barrasso, Baldwin, Fischer introduced similar resolutions recognizing November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Earlier this year, they introduced the bipartisan Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act to allow palliative care to be covered concurrently with curative treatment for illness under Medicare, greatly improving quality of life for the patient and their family.
###
