WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), the Special Committee on Aging, and founder of the bipartisan Senate Comprehensive Care Caucus, was named as a 2020 Hospice Action Network Angel Awardee by the Hospice Action Network (HAN), a National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) affiliate and advocacy organization. Rosen was one of only four senators awarded this honor.
“As someone who stepped back from my own career to take care of my parents and in-laws as they got older and developed serious health problems, ensuring that our seniors have comprehensive access to hospice and palliative care is an issue that has always been close to my heart,” said Senator Rosen. “It is an honor to be recognized by the NHPCO for the work I’m doing in Congress, and I hope to continue efforts alongside them to increase access to quality care for patients in need.”
“We are extremely thankful for Senator Rosen for her steadfast leadership and robust support of hospice and palliative care patients and their families who rely on person- and family-centered, interdisciplinary care during their greatest time of need,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.
BACKGROUND: The Hospice Action Network Angel Award was created to recognize policy makers who:
- Serve hospice and palliative care patients and their families through their legislative efforts;
- Work to support the vital mission of hospice and palliative care in caring for patients facing serious or life limiting illnesses; and
- Use their platform to amplify the voices of patients facing serious and terminal illness and their families.
Last year, Senator Rosen launched the bipartisan Comprehensive Care Caucus, with co-chairs Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Deb Fischer (R-NE). The purpose of the Comprehensive Care Caucus is to raise the public’s awareness and promote the availability and benefits of palliative care, while also finding bipartisan solutions to expand access to palliative care services, improve coordinated care, and address issues impacting caregivers.
Last year, Senator Rosen also introduced the bipartisan Provider Training in Palliative Care Act (S.1921) with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). This bipartisan legislation would update the National Health Service Corps program to allow providers to train in palliative care as an eligible primary care service.
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