NewsLine - July 2010 - (Page 16)

Short Takes The Hospice Action Network: Taking Hospice Advocacy to the Next Level By Michele Matthews It started in the Regency Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. during NHPCO’s 2010 Management and Leadership Conference, and reverberated over the Internet in homes and ofﬁces around the country…. “When I say Hospice, you say Action” was the rallying cry heard around the nation on the morning of April 21, just moments after NHPCO president/ CEO, Don Schumacher, announced The Alliance for Care at the End of Life had been rebranded. Encouraging those who heard and embraced it to take stewardship of Hospice Advocacy, that call to action embodied the very essence of NHPCO’s “new” advocacy and lobbying afﬁ liate, the NHPCO Hospice Action Network (HAN). Since its inception in 2007, the Alliance has mobilized the hospice community to successfully extend the implementation period of regulatory rate cuts from three to seven years. Most recently, it was instrumental in the big push to soften the blow of health care reform cuts to hospice by more than $3 billion. Now, harsher rate cuts loom as the community prepares for hospice reimbursement reductions contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be implemented in October 2012. So now—more than ever before—the continued ﬁght to preserve quality, compassionate end-of-life care for all Americans demands that the hospice community take Hospice Advocacy to the next level of engagement. That’s where HAN comes into play. Through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, HAN is accessible to the larger hospice community, including the patients, families, and loved ones who have all been touched by hospice. Social media is also expanding our reach to people who have not been directly impacted by hospice, but have a genuine interest in learning about—and protecting—the Medicare Hospice Beneﬁt. By drawing on that new energy and enthusiasm from the general public, HAN is taking shape as more than just a lobbying organization. It is a network in the truest sense of the word—a far-reaching community of 67,000-plus Hospice Advocates working in tandem with professional staff and lobbyists to educate lawmakers, the media and greater public about the value of hospice in their hometowns. This network is gaining momentum and spawning a strong Hospice Advocacy grassroots movement. HAN is attracting up to 50 new Hospice Advocates online on any given day, and countless more in the ﬁeld. To help sustain its rapid growth, HAN recently launched the website: www. hospiceactionnetwork.org. This website provides advocates, members of Congress and the media with up-to-the minute information on health policy and legislation impacting the endof-life care community. Moving forward, HAN will continue to implement new, innovative and interactive strategies to equip the hospice community with resources for the ﬁght to preserve quality end-of-life care. So, as the movement expands in the coming months and years, “When I say Hospice, you say Action” will be echoed and embraced by more and more people throughout the country. Visit the NHPCO Hospice Action Network for free tools to help you spread the word—and attract more Hospice Advocates to this growing network. Michele Matthews is NHPCO’s manager of public policy communications. HAN is…a network in the truest sense of the word—a far-reaching community of 67,000-plus Hospice Advocates 16 NewsLine http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org

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

NewsLine - July 2010
Using NHPCO’s New Standards
A Message from Don
A Conversation with Julia Quinlan
HAN: Taking Advocacy to the Next Level
Online Videos About Hospice Care Available
Make the Most of Congressional Recess
Circle of Life Award Call for Nominations
Pediatric Palliative Care News
NHPCO’s Upcoming Educational Offerings
National Hospice Foundation Quarterly Report

NewsLine - July 2010