ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is proud to announce that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will continue its grant support of Caring Connections, NHPCO's successful consumer program. Launched in September of 2004, this additional funding will support Caring Connections through October 2007.
This grant supports a comprehensive consumer engagement, education and empowerment initiative, including the It's About How You LIVE national outreach campaign. The campaign has more than 500 national, state and community partner organizations all working to educate the public about quality care at the end of life. The Caring Connections HelpLine (1-800-658-8898), consumer Web site (http://www.caringinfo.org) and the Web site created exclusively for LIVE campaign partners (http://www.LIVEpartners.org) have experienced tremendous utilization since their inception.
"More than one million people have accessed end-of-life resources via Caring Connections' Web site, HelpLine and email services," reports J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO's President and CEO. "Perhaps the tragic Schiavo situation was the wake-up call people needed to realize that planning for the end of life isn't something to put off until old age. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's commitment to ensuring access to quality end-of-life care has transformed all aspects of our work, yet there is still much to be done," Schumacher noted.
In the next two years, NHPCO will focus on increasing access to end-of- life care and resources to traditionally underserved populations. Priorities include conducting focus groups to develop culturally-appropriate resources for specific populations. Additionally, Caring Connections will work to help people understand the range of services available in the last years of life, particularly palliative care and hospice. The It's About How You LIVE campaign will be expanded and evolved to align with these expanded grant priorities.
Visit http://www.caringinfo.org or call the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898 for information.
NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCO's mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life.
Contact: Jon Radulovic Ph: 703-837-3139 jradulovic@nhpco.org
National Hospice and Palliative Care OrganizationCONTACT: Jon Radulovic of National Hospice and Palliative CareOrganization, +1-703-837-3139, or jradulovic@nhpco.org
