Public Policy
The FHPCA Public Policy Committee works to stay abreast of legislative changes and to educate the Florida Legislature and the Executive Branch Agencies so that decisions made are in the best interest of end-of-life patients and hospice care in Florida remains the highest quality and most accessible in the United States.
Executive Branch
FHPCA works together with various government agencies to ensure hospice remains a vital service provided to the state of Florida. These agencies are:
- Agency for Health Care Administration – Hospice Regulation
- Department of Elder Affairs – Policy
- Department of Health – Children Services
- Division of Administrative Hearings – Judicial
- Governor‘s Office – Law Execution
On occasion, FHPCA has had involvement with other agencies such as Division of Emergency Management regarding hospice patient emergency evacuations procedures, Department of Environmental Protection regarding drug disposal, and the Attorney General’s Office regarding …..
Legislative Branch
FHPCA stays actively involved with the Florida Legislature and consistently works to educate and guide them towards positions favorable to hospice’s mission in Florida.
Judicial Branch
Periodically, FHPCA has intervened on behalf of a hospice program, as an amicus curiae or by amicus brief, when it served the overall best interest of hospice in Florida.
Current State Legislation of Interest:
None at this time.
Legislative Committees of Interest:
- Budget
- Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations
- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
- Health & Human Services Quality Subcommittee
- Health & Human Services Subcommittee
- Health Regulation
- Joint Administrative Procedures Committee
- Joint Legislative Budget Commission
- Rules
Call to Action:
Occasionally we ask the public to contact their legislators in order to help protect or further the mission of hospice in Florida. In such an instance, instructions for how to participate will be given.
Call to Action: None at this time.
Federal Regulation:
FHPCA is in support of our national sister organization, the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, and their efforts towards advocating for hospice on a national level. On occasion, FHPCA will travel to Washington D.C. to help NHPCO advocate to Congress on behalf of hospice care.
Advocacy in Motion:
This notebook was taken up to Washington, D.C. on June 18, 2012 and delivered to Florida Congressional members. These notebooks were comprised of letters of support for hospice from constituents within each district, from various hospice programs all around the state. The citizens writing these letters ranged from hospice workers, to volunteers, to families, all with a direct and personal experience with hospice.