Hospice Foundation of America - Annual Report FY 2009 - 22

WHAT IS HOSPICE? Hospice is a concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families in the final stages of a terminal illness. Hospice care seeks to enable patients to carry on in an alert, pain-free manner, with symptoms under control, so that the patient’s last days may be spent with dignity and quality, at home or in a home-like setting. Hospice neither prolongs life nor hastens death. It provides its specialized knowledge of pain control, medical care, psychological, emotional and spiritual support in a comprehensive manner, in an environment that includes the home, family and friends. Bereavement support is provided to the surviving family members and friends for an extended period of time after the patient’s death. The term “hospice” stems back to medieval times when it was used to describe a place of shelter and rest for weary or sick travelers on long journeys. The term was first applied to specialized care for dying patients in 1967, when Dr. Cicely Saunders established St. Christopher’s Hospice in a suburb of London. Today, the term “hospice” refers to a steadily growing concept of humane and compassionate care which can be implemented in a variety of settings - in patients’ homes, in nursing homes, in hospitals, or in freestanding inpatient facilities. Hospice care is a covered benefit under Medicare, Medicaid in over 47 states, and many insurance plans and HMOs. In 2008 more than 1,000,000 terminally ill persons elected to spend their last months in hospice care. As the baby boomer generation ages that number is expected to rise every year in the current decade and beyond. HISTORY Hospice Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 1982 with the purpose of providing fundraising assistance to hospices operating in South Florida so that they could carry on their mission of providing compassionate care to dying patients. This was prior to passage of the Medicare hospice benefit. In 1990, with the help of a significant gift from Hospice Care, Inc., the Foundation expanded its scope to a national level in order to provide leadership in the entire spectrum of end-of-life issues. The Foundation board is a distinguished group of health policy experts which guide the Foundation as it explores efforts to: • become a center of neutral, creative thinking on end-oflife issues, as well as overall health policy; • serve as a continuous, active resource on hospice issues and the care of the terminally ill for policy makers and public opinion molders; • raise the visibility and credibility of hospice in general; • become an advocate for those principles of hospice which may enhance the medical system in general. To more accurately reflect its national scope, in 1992 the Foundation opened a Washington, DC office for its policy and program work, and in 1994 the Board changed the name of Hospice Foundation, Inc. to Hospice Foundation of America. In 2003 HFA organized Hospice College of America (HCA) as a wholly owned subsidiary with the intention of that organization becoming the distance-learning arm of HFA. The Foundation operates independently and supports itself through donations, sponsorships, continuing education proceeds and sales. MISSION STATEMENT Hospice Foundation of America provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care with the goal of enhancing the American health care system and the role of hospice within it.

Hospice Foundation of America - Annual Report FY 2009

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