Meeting Community Needs

2024 NHPCO Annual Leadership Conference

Audience and Outcomes Continuing Education Exhibitors and Supporters Explore Denver Frequently Asked Questions Health and Safety Hotel and Travel Information Keynotes Meeting Community Needs National Hospice Foundation Gala Pre-Conference Workshops Rates and Registration Scholarships

NHPCO Meeting Community Needs

Meeting Community Needs is an NHPCO initiative led by the NHPCO Professional Education and Conference Planning Committees to partner with host cities and local members to impact positive change based on local community needs.

We aim to show how hospice and palliative care providers and industry partners can do well by doing good in the host cities where we meet.

For the 2024 NHPCO Annual Leadership Conference, we are partnering with Visit Denver, local member organizations, and the Rocky Mountain Refuge to focus our efforts on the unhoused and housing-insecure population.

Together, we plan to:

- - Jointly lead an Educational Session with Rocky Mountain Refuge and Denver Hospice
  - Host a Chapstick Drive: Encouraging all attendees to contribute ChapSticks upon arrival
  - Stuff Dignity Bags: There will be opportunities for attendees to support unhoused hospice patients and express gratitude to the shelters providing space for their care by filling bags of useful goods to donate

Thank you to the following groups for collaborating to make this initiative come to life.

NHPCO’s Professional Education Committee, Diversity Advisory Council, ALC2024 Conference Planning Committee, Visit Denver, Rocky Mountain Refuge, and Local Member Organizations, including; Axxess, The Denver Hospice, Agape Healthcare, Care Synergy, Care4Denver, Dignity Hospice, Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado, Lumicare Hospice, Sangre De Cristo Community Care

About Rocky Mountain Refuge

Every city in America struggles with homelessness and the Denver Metro is no exception. We as a nation are rightly concerned about where people experiencing homelessness are going to live, but are we asking, where do they die?

According to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, about 25% of people experiencing homelessness who died last year, died out of doors. This could be anywhere from a sidewalk, alleyway, under a bridge, to a tent. About 20% of folks who were experiencing homelessness are able to die in rented motel/hotel rooms and lastly, about 30% die in Hospitals. Hospital care is by far the most expensive and not designed for end of life comfort care.

People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of chronic diseases. These conditions often exacerbate end of life care when a terminal illness is diagnosed. People experiencing homelessness have an average life expectancy of 30 years less than the housed population.

Rocky Mountain Refuge is the only shelter in Colorado that provides a place for people experiencing homelessness to receive end of life care. We offer shelter for end-of-life care regardless of a person’s race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), immigration status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.