November is Recognized as Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Month by Governor Ron DeSantis


Tallahassee, Fla., – Governor Ron DeSantis has declared November as Hospice and Palliative Care Month in Florida. In 2021, 161,021 patients received hospice care throughout Florida in a variety of settings depending on where the patient resides. During the pandemic, Florida hospices also provided bereavement services to persons who lost loved ones irrespective of whether the loss occurred under hospice or under the care of other sectors of health care. Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association joins hospice providers, their many caring employees and supporters across the state in recognizing this important month to focus on the high-quality care, education, and accessibility as hallmarks of hospice care in Florida. Hospice and Palliative Care Month in Florida highlights the quality and variety of services offered in every county across the state.

“The ethos of, ‘Every day is a gift’ and ‘Live every day you have to the fullest,’ guide the valuable services available through your local hospice,” said Paul A. Ledford, President & CEO of Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association. “When curative or life-prolonging therapies are no longer effective or beneficial, it is appropriate for the goals of care, and plan of care, to refocus on quality of life. This November, we remind you that hospices across Florida are here to help. Florida’s hospices have expertise in delivering needed care to patients and families at the right place and the right time.”

2022 Proclamation text:

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE MONTH IN FLORIDA

WHEREAS, hospice staff and volunteers provide a special kind of care for those with a life-limiting illness in every community in Florida, helping meet the medical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of more than 161,021 patients throughout Florida last year; and

WHEREAS, hospice continues its focus on the family and those close to the patient, serving hundreds of thousands of Florida’s citizens with bereavement and caregiving assistance; and

WHEREAS, Florida hospices support research to improve quality and access and encourage innovation in end-of-life care; changing the perception of hospice care in different communities through education & community-outreach in Florida; and

WHEREAS, Florida hospices partnered with the Department of Health and Agency for Health Care Administration to develop and provide Partners In Care: Together for Kids Program, the first publicly funded program that provides pediatric palliative care supportservices for children on the Children’s Medical Services Plan with potentially life-limiting illnesses; and

WHEREAS, hospices in Florida recognize that our nation’s veterans often have unique end-of-life needs, celebrating the heroic work of our veterans, who have sacrificed much to guarantee our freedoms and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, in honor of hospice caregivers, volunteers, and staff, the month of November is nationally recognized as Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ron Desantis, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby extend my support to all observing November 2022, as Hospice and Palliative Care Month in Florida.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed at Tallahassee, the Capital, this 1st day of November, in the year two thousand twenty-two.

Please contact the FHPCA state office to receive a digital copy of the 2022 Hospice and Palliative Care Month in Florida Proclamation.

Visit www.LetHospiceHelp.org to find basic facts and resources on what to expect from hospice providers as a patient and caregiver. No obligations, just answers.  The ‘Find a Provider’ feature allows users to locate end-of-life care programs in Florida.