Our Mission

Promote understanding and support of quality hospice and palliative care

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Research

Research paves the way for greater understanding and wide spread acceptance of end of life options for all diseases. Research also helps us understand systems and allows us to support access for all.

Veterans Outreach Project

In response to substantial interest among hospice providers in California and Nevada, the California Hospice Foundation applied for and was awarded a grant from the Veterans Administration (VA) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization specifically targeting homeless and rural veterans in California and Nevada.

California has more veterans than any state in the nation. However, current VA utilization data indicate that utilization of community based hospice programs in both California and Nevada is very low and in some areas, is actually declining. This data represents a time when 37% of our veteran population is 65 or older and demand for our services should be increasing. The VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of the year. Homeless veterans are mostly male, the vast majority are single, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. Forty-seven percent served during the Vietnam era. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.

This project will identify and break down barriers that impede collaboration between community based hospice providers and VA. We will determine what is currently available, what the challenges are and who has resolved them. A replicable education/planning event and a 'Best Practice Toolkit' will be developed and tested. Participants in the project will take away a plan to either improve or begin a local collaborative program with the VA.

The project began on April 1,2009. We are pleased to be working with the VA to serve this group of individuals, and we will keep you updated about results.