National Hospice Palliative Care Month

Proclamation
By the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, hospice and palliative care empower people to live as fully as possible, surrounded and supported by family and loved ones, despite serious and life-limiting illness; and

WHEREAS, hospice and palliative care bring patients and family caregivers the highest quality care delivered by an interdisciplinary team of skilled professionals that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, counselors, health aides, spiritual care providers and others who make the wishes of each patient and family a priority; and

WHEREAS, through pain management and symptom control, caregiver training and assistance, and emotional and spiritual support, allowing patients to live fully and make more meaningful moments until the end, surrounded and supported by the faces of loved ones, friends, and committed caregivers; and

WHEREAS, each year, hospice saves Medicare more than $2 billion by providing solutions for physicians, care to patients and comfort to families anywhere, at any time; and

WHEREAS, every year an estimated 1.6 million Americans living with life-limiting illness, and their families, receive care from the nation’s hospice programs in communities throughout the United States; and

WHEREAS, the most recent statistics report that more than 355,000 trained volunteers contributed 16 million hours of service to hospice programs last year; and

WHEREAS, hospice and palliative care providers encourage all people to learn more about options of care and to share their wishes with family, loved ones, and their healthcare professionals:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim November 2015, as

National Hospice Palliative Care Month

in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 13th day of November 2015.

Robert Bentley
Governor