Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 8:46 PM
In an effort to address the growing need for palliative care in the United States, The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act was introduced into Congress by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Capito (R-WVA).
Hospice and palliative care prioritize their efforts on improving the patient’s quality of life as much as possible.
The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (S. 693) will:
• Strengthen training for existing and new physicians, along with providers who are part of the palliative care team
• Increase palliative care teaching and research
• Create a national education campaign to update medical professionals, patients and families about the benefits of palliative care and hospice
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be given instruction from the legislation to increase palliative care research with existing funds.
The Act will also create academic and career incentive awards to health professionals who teach or practice in the field of palliative care for at least five years.
“I was raised by my maternal grandparents and later served as my grandmother’s primary caretaker as she grew older, so this issue is personal to me, and I want to make a difference for families experiencing serious health concerns,” said Senator Baldwin in a statement released by her office. “I’m proud to work across party lines and introduce the bipartisan Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act with my colleague Senator Capito. We must do more to help grow and sustain our health care workforce to safeguard and improve the quality of care for the growing number of patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses.”
“As someone who cared for aging parents, I understand how important palliative and hospice care is and how much support and comfort it provides to patients and their families,” said Senator Capito in a statement released by her office. “I feel strongly we must strengthen training and education options to those involved in these fields so we can continue delivering quality care for those in the final stages of life.”
NAHC strongly supports the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act and will provide continual updates on the development of this legislation through Congress.
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