Affiliated Organizations
The National Hospice Foundation is part of a family of affiliated organizations. We share space in our National Center for Care at the End of Life in Alexandria, Virginia and each focus on a specific aspect end-of-life care work.
While NHF’s primary role is fundraising, we collaborate to promote access to high-quality hospice and palliative care for everyone who needs it. We also work to ensure the highest quality of care for seriously ill individuals and their families here in the United States as well as in our special focus area in Africa.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
Founded in 1978, NHPCO is the world’s premier hospice and palliative care leadership organization. In addition to supporting a diversified membership of hospice and palliative care provider organizations and professionals, NHPCO breaks new ground in professional leadership, consumer and caregiver services, research, legislative advocacy, communications, international development, and issues related to quality care at the end of life.
FHSSA, which began as the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa,was founded in 1999 and officially became part of the NHPCO family of organizations in late 2004.
Through partnerships with more than 80 hospices in 28 states, FHSSA helps support direct care to individuals and their families affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses in 14 African countries. FHSSA supports their African partners to provide compassionate care to the entire family and community – nutritional, medicine, medical supplies, bedding and school uniforms for orphans and vulnerable children, bicycles and vehicles for transportation, and creating volunteer caregiver networks and youth care clubs to engage and empower vulnerable youth.
Gifts to NHF’s FHSSA Impact Fund support FHSSA’s work of building partnerships to enhance compassionate care in Africa.
The Hospice Action Network (HAN), NHPCO’s lobbying affiliate and national hospice advocacy organization, is dedicated to preserving and expanding access to hospice care in America. NHPCO and HAN work very closely together. As a 501(c)3, NHPCO faces limits on the time and resources that may be used for advocacy on Capitol Hill and at the grassroots level. And, that’s where HAN comes in. Created in 2007, it is a 501 (c) 4 organization that is not subject to the same limitations. Hence, NHPCO sets the public policy agenda and HAN implements the agenda through direct lobbying, grassroots advocacy and by working with Hospice Advocates to expand the message through education and sharing the hospice story with Congress. HAN works to connect advocates with one another, the media, general public and policy makers. HAN also provides Hospice Advocates with the tools they need to fight for Hospice on a local level, on Capitol Hill, and online.
National Hospice Foundation – Our role is to raise fund for NHPCO and FHSSA.
While it is true that NHPCO is a membership organization and member hospices and palliative care programs pay dues to join, that dues revenue does not cover the costs of all the valuable services offered to the public and the nation’s hospices.
Here is just a small sample of NHPCO services and programs that are not covered by membership dues and thus rely on funding from grants and contributions:
- Educational resources to teach people how to access hospice, advance care planning, caregiving, and grief services
- Tools to help hospices improve access by diverse populations
- An expanded advocacy outreach kit to help individuals and hospices talk about the need for quality hospice care with national and local legislators
- Research on ways to improve the quality and affordability of hospice and palliative care
- The Quality Partners program which provides easy-to-use instruments to assess the quality of hospice organizations
- The development of tools for hospices, such as a “Crisis Communication Guide,” pediatric standards of care, andguidelines for spiritual care
- Caring Connections, a national initiative to educate and empower individuals to access advance care planning, caregiving, hospice and grief services and information
Through the FHSSA Impact Fund, donors can help strengthen expand hospice and palliative care programs in sub-Saharan Africa and increase public awareness.
