House to Vote on Palliative Care and Hospice Education Act

This week, possibly Monday, Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) (H.R. 647) is anticipated to receive a vote in the House of Representatives. As of this past Friday PCHETA had 294 Cosponsors in the House, Truly a Bipartisan Bill.

Among seniors in hospice care, nearly 1 in 5 has a primary hospice diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another dementia. And, nearly half of all people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are in hospice care at the time of their death. For people with advanced dementia, such team-based care improves quality of life, controls costs, and enhances patient satisfaction. While the availability of palliative and hospice care grows, the demand for coordinated care is growing at a far faster rate with the quality of care a concern.
The aging population must have access to palliative and hospice care from an adequately trained workforce. Without training in both Palliative and Hospice Care the quality of care will suffer. The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) (S. 2080/H.R. 647). PCHETA would increase the availability and quality of care by establishing palliative care and hospice workforce training programs, creating a national education and awareness campaign about the benefits of palliative care and available services and supports, and enhancing research on improving the delivery of palliative care.
Join the Alzheimer's Association and myself in urging your Member of the House to vote for PCHETA H.R.647. I thank my Representative David Scott for his Cosponsorship of this Bill since its introduction and his ongoing support of Alheimers patients and their families in District 13 of Georgia.