NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2017 - 38

Short Takes

2017 Advocacy Intensive Highlights Patients' Stories
Advocates Inspired to "Be Their
Voice!"
It can be intimidating to walk the halls of Congress,
memorize bill numbers and talking points, and meet
with Representatives and Senators. Many first time
advocates arrive on Monday morning of the Advocacy
Intensive feeling a bit daunted by the task before
them. But all it takes is one reminder of who they are
representing to fill them with energy and courage.
The theme of this year's Advocacy Intensive was "Be
Their Voice!" Advocates were
encouraged to share the stories of
patients they have served, and
bring pictures and videos to
share with Members of Congress
to personalize the policy issues
they were discussing. The
response from the Advocates was
overwhelming. Every Member of
Congress they met with that day
came away knowing about a
hospice or palliative care patient in their district and
the positive impact of receiving the right care at the
right time.
Or, in some cases, how problems in our healthcare
system failed a patient. We asked Advocates to
specifically bring stories that demonstrated a
connection to one of our two major legislative
priorities: the Patient Choice and Quality Care Act,
and the Rural Access to Hospice Act. We heard stories
of patients' families saying they wish they had
understood their options sooner, and how patients in
rural areas may have to travel for miles and change
physicians because a glitch in the law prevents Rural
Health Center physicians from billing for attending
physician services. By tying their patients' stories
directly to our legislative priorities, our Advocates

NHPCO NewsLine | Fall 2017

were able to humanize otherwise academic
arguments, and make a lasting impact on the staff
and Members of Congress they met.
And by all accounts, the Advocates had a great time
doing it! We proudly hosted nearly 240 hospice
advocates from 120-plus hospices, representing 43
states. More than two-thirds of attendees were firsttime participants from key Congressional districts
who all overcame any anxieties and did a great job.
Thanks to our sponsors, Hospice Pharmacy Solutions
and Kinnser Software, we were able to offer ten travel
and lodging scholarships to
assist Advocates from key
congressional districts.
Each member of the
interdisciplinary team was
represented, and HAN was
happy to host many of our State
Leaders who were essential in
helping to marshall their
delegations through a long day
of congressional meetings. A special thank you also
goes out to our three amazing interns: Hannah
Winters, Kevin Curwick, and Libby Croncican. In
addition to assisting with the planning of the event,
Hannah, Kevin, and Libby also took congressional
meetings and were a friendly face to our Advocates
throughout the event.
Want to be sure you're up to date on hospice and
palliative care advocacy issues, calls to action,
and insight from the field? Then be sure to
register with the Hospice Action Network and
follow us on Facebook and Twitter. It's the easiest
way to be connected to advocacy in the field.

http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org/linked_documents/get_informed/legislation/115/PCQC_2017Overview.pdf http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org/linked_documents/get_informed/legislation/115/Rural_2017Overview.pdf http://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org/han-in-action/lac/sign-up/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2017