Welcome to Our On-line Community

The Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care (VAHPC) advocates for quality care for all persons with life limiting illnesses.

VAHPC  promotes hospice and palliative care education and ethical practices, and serves as a  united voice and resource for its members.

Our primary responsibility is to the citizens of the Commonwealth. We hope that you will find this site useful and that you will return frequently  for information and support when facing the challenges of a life-limiting disease.

  VAHPC Advocacy Day 2020

      February 13, 2020

 Each year members & supporters of VAHPC convene to advocate at the General Assembly for hospice & palliative care.

  • ADVOCACY DAY starts with an orientation and "how-to's" when conducting a visit with staff or legislator. For a primer on what we do and how it's done, click here. 
  •  VAHPC will try to coordinate these visits and provide written information which can be left behind to educate the legislators & their staff.
  •  ADVOCACY DAY continues with a visit to the Capitol where attendees are introduced in both Chambers.
  •  ADVOCACY DAY is a wonderful opportunity to engage in the democratic process of state government and a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about the importance of palliative and hospice care in Virginia's efforts to meet the needs of persons with serious illnesses.

Registration is requested, but there is no charge to attend this event. Click here to register. For specific questions or concerns, contact Brenda Clarkson at [email protected]

 

 

Advance Directives

 

 Opioid Crisis & Hospice

 

In response to the public health epidemic of prescription drug abuse and related deaths in Virginia, the VAHPC Public Policy Committee convened a work group to explore the responsibilities hospices have to ensure safe use of opioids in the communities they serve. The group recognized that the appropriate use of opioids is vitally important in preventing undue suffering at end of life and also recognized the obligation hospice programs have to assure that the medications provided are used in a safe and effective manner.

VAHPC’s work group developed a Tool Kit for use by hospices, “Risk Evaluation & Mitigation (REM): Strategies to Promote the Safe Use of Opioids".

For a copy of the REM Tool Kit

to download and/or print, click on this link 

 

Palliative Care

The Virginia Department of Health, VDH, has created a palliative care informational website which includes information on the following:

  • delivery of palliative care in the home and in primary, secondary and tertiary environments;
  • best practices for the delivery of palliative care;
  • consumer educational materials and referral information for palliative care and
  • continuing education opportunities for health care providers.
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