NewsLine - November 2010 - (Page 3)

A Message From Don A Time of Awareness and Celebration N ovember is a time of year I look forward to. First of all, it is National Hospice/ Palliative Care Month—a time of awareness and celebration. To all of you, I extend my deepest appreciation for the work you do every single day in bringing care and compassion to people in need. Whether at the bedside, in the office or around the board table, the work you do helps patients and families focus on living! I also look forward to this time of year because it heralds the release of the annual report, NHPCO Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America. The cover story of this month’s NewsLine offers a terrific overview of the wealth of information that is included in this report. Please take time to review the article and download the full document. Then share it with all those in your community who will benefit from this knowledge, including staff, board members, referral sources, educators and the media. For example, we can proudly say that 41.6 percent of all people who died in the U.S. last year were under the care of a hospice—that’s a record high. Can there be a more appropriate time than National Hospice/Palliative Care Month to reach out with such significant information? In addition to Facts & Figures, there are many resources that are part of our 2010-11 Outreach Guide & Materials that we offer members. Please make use of these tools during November—and all year long. The article beginning on page 10 provides a closer look at using some of these resources. Another very special project that is rolling out now is our new campaign, “We Honor Veterans.” More information will be featured in December NewsLine, but as we honor veterans on November 11, remember the critical role that hospice and palliative care providers can play in the lives of those who served our country and are entering the final chapters of their lives. November also brings the Thanksgiving holiday. Let us never forget all that we have to be thankful for—in both our professional and personal lives. I am particularly thankful for the support every one of you generously gives to us at NHPCO. For the opportunity you have given me—to support your work and to strengthen the unified voice of the hospice and palliative care community—I am grateful. J. Donald Schumacher President/CEO NewsLine 3 http://www.nhpco.org/files/public/Statistics_Research/Hospice_Facts_Figures_Oct-2010.pdf http://www.nhpco.org/outreach http://www.nhpco.org/outreach

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - November 2010

New Facts and Figures on Hospice Care
A Little Refresher on the Hospice Quilt
A Message from Don
Free Tools for Your Community Outreach
Honoring Exemplary Hospice Volunteers
People and Places
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
Join the Ranks of Hospice Advocacy Local Leaders
Board of Directors Election Under Way
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
Essential Guide to Hospice Management (display ad)
NHPCO's Upcoming Educational Offerings
NHPCO and the VA Launch We Honor Veterans
FHSSA Quarterly Newsletter

NewsLine - November 2010