Our CEO, Paul A. Ledford, was a guest writer on Florida Politics. Read the article here.
Read the Joint Statement from the Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina, the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association, and the South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association below.
FHPCA will host a free webinar on building a winning awards application, led by FHPCA President & CEO Paul Ledford. With more than 30 years of experience serving on awards committees, Paul brings deep insight into what makes an entry stand out and the common pitfalls that can take even strong submissions out of the running. He will share practical tips, review frequent mistakes, and discuss strategies for strengthening applications in highly competitive award programs. Paul is also interviewing other association executives who oversee excellence awards in their respective sectors, adding broader perspective to the conversation. In addition, we’ll cover the steps FHPCA’s Awards Subcommittee takes to reduce judging bias and ensure a fair evaluation process. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
This session was recorded for those who could not attend live. Watch here.
Thank you, Representative Greg Steube, (FL-17th) for introducing the FL/NC/SC joint letter to Dr. Oz into the record at the Ways & Means Committee Hearing on hospice fraud and abuse on April 21. The gist of the letter is those states with robust regulatory systems and oversight (like Florida) are NOT experiencing hospice fraud and abuse and hospice providers in those states should not be subjected to the same onerous corrective measures as the states where fraud and abuse is occurring. It is completely appropriate for CMS to use its authority for highly focused enforcement by investigating the specific companies displaying the warning signs of fraud and abuse.
Read the letter here.
This free 1.5-hour CEU or CME webinar opportunity is being offered by VITAS and Florida Hospital Association. A multidisciplinary panel has been assembled to showcase insights from primary care, hospital medicine and hospice providers, as well as caregivers, FHA leadership and ACP implementation experts. FHPCA’s CEO, Paul Ledford, is also a panelist.
It takes place April 16, Noon-1:30 EST. Register here.
Our CEO, Paul A. Ledford, along with the CEO of the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina, Tim Rogers, joined Chris Comeaux on the TCN Talks Anatomy of Leadership podcast (Teleios Collaborative Network). They discussed protecting patients at end of life and why Certificate of Need (CON) is an important part of that.
The 2026 Legislative Session (January 13-March 13) has kicked off and is wasting no time getting to work. FHPCA is working diligently to mitigate a portion of House Bill 693 which eliminates Certificate of Need in Hospice and skilled nursing facilities, there is not a Senate version of this bill as of January 13. We are supporting Patient Directed Medical Orders (like POLST/MOLST), have several other issues we are engaged on, and dozens of issues we are closely monitoring.
During the Joint Opening Session on Tuesday, Governor DeSantis delivered his final (8th) State of the State address to the House and Senate, and as would be expected, he recapped his most important accomplishments as Governor. He called upon the Legislature to send meaningful property tax reform legislation to his desk – promising to sign it. Property tax reform is expected to consume much of the 2026 Session bandwidth, with rumblings of a Special Session in April to conduct a mid-decade Congressional redistricting plan.
For context, this is a reminder that Republicans hold super-majorities in the Florida House and Senate and hold every elected statewide office. That is useful information to know as you observe the process.
Stay tuned through session as we represent the hospice and palliative care sectors of health care.
If you are interested in watching the goings-on in Tallahassee, you may tune into the Florida Channel to watch the House and Senate Chambers live, committees at work, and interviews and press conferences as they occur. You will find the calendar and schedule at the links, below, and can find many of those committee meetings and interviews on the Florida Channel.
The refreshed for 2026, January edition of The Hospice Professional is out now! Reacquaint yourself with FHPCA’s staff, meet our new Corporate Patron, and get Forum Updates. Also see what our members are up to! Supporting education for new CNA’s, facilitating a special dinner experience for a patient, and a bow-tied therapy dog providing comfort at a facility. 📰
And of course, don’t forget to subscribe to The Hospice Professional to see it a day earlier: Click here to read The Hospice Professional January 2026 Edition
December 2 is Giving Tuesday! Started in 2012 to give back to local communities after Black Friday, to foster generosity and collaboration. This Giving Tuesday, consider giving to your local hospice.
Use Let Hospice Help’s Find-a-Provider tool to find the Florida Hospices near you today.
Learn more about Giving Tuesday here!
Every year FHPCA asks the Governor’s office to declare November Hospice and Palliative Care Month which he has done for 2025. Thank you Gov. DeSantis for your support of hospice!
FHPCA President & CEO, Paul Ledford was a guest on The Usual Suspects, a CBS syndicated political talk show, recently. Ledford was interviewed by Steve Vancore, one of the show’s hosts, and President of Vancore Jones Communications. FHPCA is a client of Vancore Jones Communications, so Vancore is very familiar with hospice issues in Florida. There is 22-minutes of dialog if you fast forward through the advertisements. The discussion is primarily a ‘50,000 foot’ discussion about hospice in general, and why Florida’s regulatory system works well.
Watch here: The Usual Suspects – October 26, 2025
Florida TaxWatch, August 7, 2025
Florida’s aging population is driving sustained demand for cost-effective, patient-centered care across the continuum. Palliative care—non-curative, interdisciplinary support for patients with serious but often nonterminal conditions—improves quality of life and can lower overall costs when introduced early in the disease course. Hospice provides end-of-life care once a clinician certifies a terminal prognosis; in Florida, hospice providers operate under a Certificate of Need (CON) program that authorizes new entrants only when unmet need is demonstrated through twice-yearly batching cycles…Read whole article here
Read the Florida TaxWatch study here
FHPCA was honored to present the 2025 Awards of Excellence at the Annual Forum. These recognitions are granted to individuals, teams, or organizations that demonstrate outstanding service, innovation, leadership, and compassion in Florida’s hospices and palliative care. These awards help to highlight best practices, honor exceptional contributions, and encourage continued excellence in end-of-life care.
2025 Barbara Janosko Leadership Award
Kristal Goodwin
Haven Hospice
2025 The Catalyst Award
Theresa Fesler
Treasure Coast Hospice and St. Francis Reflections Hospice
2025 Hospice Heart Award
Cindy Moon
Avow Hospice
2025 Hospice Heart Award
Sara Parsons
VITAS Healthcare
2025 Hospice Story Award
Betsy Miller
The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care
2025 Rising Leader Award
Alexis Kidd
The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care
2025 Rising Leader Award
Amber Givens
Avow Hospice
2025 Synergy Award
Chiefland Care Team
Haven Hospice
2025 Excellence in Program Innovation – Community Outreach Award
Hospice of Health First
Click here to see the official press release.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that would take some stress off palliative care physicians who guide patients through their final hours, as well as the grieving families they leave behind.
Sponsored by Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy, HB 647 would allow Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to complete and file death certificates for hospice care patients.
Click here to read the whole article from Florida Politics!
Please join us May 29-30 for the 40th Annual Forum – Hospice Works: Sunshine State of Mind at the beautiful Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Hotel for networking and education. Get ready for innovative content and incredible speakers. Visit the official Forum website for a full listing of speakers and education sessions. Register yourself and your team today!
This year is a Hospice Works year and is designed for the non-clinical Hospice professionals focusing on topics that keep hospice working:
Click here to register and find more information for the 40th Annual Forum.
For any questions about the FHPCA 40th Annual Forum – Hospice Works: Sunshine State of Mind please email Christina Michael, Director of Education & Events, Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association.
Stay up-to-date on everything Forum related on Forum Friday! Speakers, important dates, awards, and more!
https://mailchi.mp/floridahospices/thehospiceprofessionalforumfriday2-28-25-9296681
It’s back! Check out the revamped Hospice Professional Newsletter today.
Subscribe to see it a day earlier.
Click here to read the January Edition of The Hospice Professional.
Every year FHPCA asks the Governor’s office to declare November Hospice and Palliative Care Month which he has done for 2024. Thank you Gov. DeSantis for your support of hospice!
This year’s Forum was a great success! While we are preparing follow-up emails, evaluations, attendee lists, and CEU information to go out this week, don’t forget to mark your calendar for 2025:
Click here to learn more about FHPCA’s Annual Forum!
Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association thanks our NEW Corporate Patron members as of May 2023! Thanks for supporting the mission of FHPCA and hospice programs in Florida! To learn more on how to become a Corporate Patron member click HERE
Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association thanks all of our NEW and RENEWED Patron members as of March 30! Thanks for supporting the mission of FHPCA and hospice programs in Florida! To learn more on how to become a Patron member click HERE
Thanks for supporting Hospice Care in Florida!
Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association thanks all of our NEW and RENEWED Patron members as of February 10! Thanks for supporting the mission of FHPCA and hospice programs in Florida! To learn more on how to become a Patron member click HERE
Thanks for supporting Hospice Care in Florida!
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.
Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association is pleased to present Sen. Aaron Bean with a 2022 Hospice Champion Award! On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, FHPCA President & CEO, Paul A. Ledford presented the award to Sen. Bean at a reception held by The Haven Hospice Orange Park Community Advisory Board at the Custead Hospice Care Center in Orange Park.
“This award is in recognition of his strong support for hospice during two decades of service in both the Florida House and the Florida Senate. Sen. Bean has always been a quiet force behind the scenes, and a vocal supporter in the committee process. We appreciate you, and all you have done for hospice in Florida, “ said Ledford.
(Pictured left to right – Sen. Aaron Bean, Pauline Taylor, President & COO Haven Hospice, Paul Ledford, FHPCA President & CEO)
FHPCA is grateful to our Patron members who help us provide great programming and events each year. The Patron Membership is designed for businesses engaged in the principal activities of hospice on the statewide level. This includes vendors of all types: consultants, agents, pharmaceutical companies and all organizations serving the end of life continuum. For more information on our Affiliate membership programs, CLICK HERE. Thank you, Patrons!