Tallahassee, Fla.—During the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association’s (FHPCA) fourth quarter Board Meeting at Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, Hope Healthcare President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith presented Senator Denise Grimsley with the Hospice Champion Award. FHPCA recognized Senator Grimsley’s role … Continue reading →

Orlando, Fla.—Today, during the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association’s (FHPCA) quarterly Board Meeting in Orlando, the Board presented Liz Dudek with the Outstanding Public Service Award in recognition of decades of dedicated public service and her commitment to assuring … Continue reading →

    Seven Songs for a Long Life  Director comes to Forum 2017 Dr. Amy Hardie is a internationally award winning documentary film director whose latest film Seven Songs for a Long Life,  follows five patients in a large Scottish hospice. … Continue reading →

Today, FHPCA’s House Bill 539- “An Act Relating to Hospices” passed the Florida House Health Innovation Subcommittee. This bill addresses quality measures, prescription drug disposal after a patient’s death, and palliative care services to non-hospice, seriously ill patients. Here’s the … Continue reading →

Video: Our Forum Planning Committee is preparing for you!   Our Forum Website is now live and you can register for your spot at FHPCA’s Annual Forum! Whether you are a seasoned hospice professional or have just begun your career … Continue reading →

October is breast cancer awareness month, and FHPCA wants to remind women everywhere to get tested early. The American Cancer Society recommends that all women over the age of 40 get an annual mammogram and a clinical physical examination. For … Continue reading →

In a span of a month, two hurricanes have battered Florida’s coast. Recently, Hurricane Matthew left the Northeast Coast with damaged homes, fallen trees, dangerous flooding, and power outages. Severe weather can come to our doorstep at anytime and that’s … Continue reading →

 From “The New Yorker” By Larissa MacFarquhar A TENDER HAND IN THE PRESENCE OF DEATH  The daily work of a hospice nurse, who treats the physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of people at the most vulnerable point of their lives.  Heather … Continue reading →

  The attacks that occurred in Orlando this past weekend brought a sense of hopelessness and deep sorrow to communities across Florida. How can people deal with grief during this difficult time? At the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association, … Continue reading →

  Charles Suggs lII, MD Medical Director of Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care So you have heard about palliative care, but are unsure of what it is. Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for people with serious … Continue reading →

By Vanessa Orr Hospice is a unique, interdisciplinary, holistic approach to care that helps individuals with advanced illnesses and their families to deal with the medical, social, spiritual and emotional issues that arise when someone is nearing the end of … Continue reading →

  Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) is pleased to announce Let Hospice Help, a new initiative to increase public awareness of hospice care in Florida. Paul Ledford, President & CEO of FHPCA, says, “We realize that there is … Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, FL – In honor of the special kind of care provided by hospice for those at the end oflife, Governor Rick Scott has declared this November as Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Month. November is an opportunity to raise … Continue reading →

Are you renewal ready? The Florida Department of Health has changed the license renewal process, and clinicians are now required to report continuing education (CE) and continuing medical education (CME) course completions prior to license renewal. To view licensing requirements by … Continue reading →

November is Hospice & Palliative Care Month (read Governor Scott’s proclamation) and a great time to learn more about the wonderful services hospice and palliative care provides patients and families. What is hospice and palliative care?  Hospice and palliative care … Continue reading →

By Paul Ledford, President & CEO, FHPCA In 2010, Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association adopted a position in opposition to physician-assisted suicide. It is our commitment to the value of life and to the optimization of the quality of … Continue reading →

(Alexandria, VA) – Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), legislation which includes hospice integrity provisions that are backed by the hospice community. The National Hospice and … Continue reading →

By Mery Lossada, MD Chief Medical Officer, Hospice of Marion County On July 18, 2014, Medicare replaced a policy it had put into place just four months previous. The policy it drew up in March threw hospices and their patients … Continue reading →

Medicare has announced significant changes in the hospice drug coverage rules, prompting cheers from many patient advocates within and beyond the hospice community. Many feared that the original changes would have had disastrous effects on quality of care by limiting … Continue reading →

The recent article, “How Dying Became a Multibillion-Dollar Industry” published by the Huffington Post, spoke on the increasing business of hospice care. This article attempted to prove that hospice is turning big business and quality of patient care is suffering … Continue reading →

By Wendy Melton Abbott, Team Leader, Big Bend Hospice   As a hospice nurse, I often find that when families learn all that hospice care has to offer, they are both relieved and concerned: relieved that the comprehensive list of … Continue reading →

The Hospice House Difference By Patricia Klein, Sr. Public Relations Specialist, Good Shepherd Hospice and Abby Vandegrift, Communications & Policy Coordinator, Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association   Judy Goll will always remember October 22, 2011. Even though doctors had … Continue reading →

Television viewers are afforded a rare glimpse into the lives of hospice patients in the one-hour special program, “Hospice: Something More” premiering Thursday, November 7 at 9pm ET on RLTV. The program was produced by Hospice Foundation of America and … Continue reading →

by Roxanne Riley, Executive Director, LifePath Hospice   For years, state and federal lawmakers have tried to find an answer to escalating health care costs. At the same time, patients and families want access to quality health care that is both … Continue reading →

By Joyce Baldrica, President and CEO of the VNA of the Treasure Coast and Nightingale Private Duty Nursing Hospice care offers the services you want. What stands in the way of more people choosing hospice care, is limited awareness of … Continue reading →