For the past several months, the Hospice Action Network (HAN) has been working tirelessly with Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House on implementing safeguards and policies that will support hospice providers and the patients and families they serve.

The last advocacy push resulted in over 12,000 advocacy actions which related in regulatory relief, statutory changes, and grant funding for the hospice and palliative care community. 

We continue to advocate loudly with Congress and the Administration on behalf of the hospice and palliative care community, and we could use your continued help.

As I write this, Congress is preparing a fourth COVID-19 emergency package, referred to as “COVID 4.0.”  We need to ensure that the voice and concerns of the hospice and palliative care community remain heard and felt on Capitol Hill.

We have prepared this Action Alert, for you to send your lawmakers underlining the need for support for bereavement and trauma informed care, funding for PPE and workforce support, availability of community-based palliative care, and the need for passage of the Rural Access to Hospice Act (H.R.2594/S.1190) and the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (S.2080). This template is customizable, so please feel free to share details about how COVID-19 is affecting you and/or your program.

We’ve also created a script for phone calls, and Twitter and Facebook posts. Please complete as many different actions as you can and encourage your colleagues, friends, family, and fellow hospice and palliative care advocates to TAKE ACTION.

We’ve seen what can be accomplished when we stand in solidarity and advocate with ONE voice. Let’s make sure Congress hears us loud and clear again and understands what we are experiencing on the ground.

We are thinking of your during these unprecedented times. Stay safe and keep pushing!