Newsline - March 2011 - (Page 16)

April 5-6, 2011 It was 7 a.m. on April 21, 2010, and Brian Byrd of Texas was over 1,100 miles away from his hometown of Dallas. It was the morning of NHPCO Hospice Action Network’s Capitol Hill Day 2010, and Brian, the CEO of Texas Hospice, was a first-time Hill Day attendee on his way to the event’s inaugural Pep Rally. As he made his way to the Pep Rally, being held in the ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, Brian was fired up from the prior afternoon’s strategy and role-playing sessions. These sessions with seasoned Hospice Advocates, lobbyists and long-time Washington insiders were designed to help prepare him for his meetings on the Hill after the Pep Rally—his first-ever meetings with members of Congress. When he entered the Pep Rally, he was surrounded by state signs (in true political convention styling), and hundreds of other excited Hospice Advocates and NHPCO Hospice Action Network (HAN) staff who were willing and eager to answer any of his “newbie” questions. Then, to kick into high gear what was already shaping up to be an unforgettable advocacy experience, Hospice Champions Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon shared a few words to inspire the crowd. Following this most appropriate send off, Brian and over 500 other Hospice Advocates headed over to Capitol Hill for what Brian ultimately described as an “eyeopening, hands-on lesson in educating and building relationships with members of Congress to give hospice patients and families a voice.” Brian clearly walked away from his first Hill Day with a greater sense of how he can use his voice to effectively advocate for the many patients that his hospice serves. F 16 lash forward to March 2011. HAN staff has found that Brian’s story is far from an anomaly as other first-time attendees have shared similar stories. Many have recounted their excitement about realizing the profound impact they could NewsLine have on the way the hospice story is shared with our nation’s lawmakers. Now, with Capitol Hill Day 2011 next month—on April 5 and 6— you will not want to miss the opportunity and satisfaction of taking Hospice Advocacy to the Hill, whether you’ve experienced it before or you’re a Hill Day novice. After all, 2011 may prove to be the most critical year yet for Hospice Advocates. As a result of health care reform, the Medicare Hospice Benefit is

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Newsline - March 2011

Newsline - March 2011
NHPCO’s New Staffing Guidelines
A Message From Don
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
Hospice in the Continuum: PACE at Midland Care
Capitol Hill Day 2011
Short Takes
Feedback from NHPCO’s Education Needs Assessment
2011 Reaching Out Grant Recipients
National Healthcare Decisions Day Website
JPSM Call for Papers
CE/CME Training Through NHPCO Webinars
Social Work Resource Recommendations
New Volunteer Outreach Materials Now Online
Volunteer Recognition Gift Ideas (display ad)
The Voice of NCHPP
A Nurse and Chaplain Connect
NCHPP QAPI Section Monthly Chats
Replicate Excellence: MVI (display ad)
Education Opportunities through NFDA (display ad)
Members in the News
Hospice Executive Scholarship Program (display ad)
Upcoming Educational Offerings

Newsline - March 2011