African-American Outreach Guide
For Immediate Release
February 24, 2021
New Hospice and Palliative Care Outreach Guide for Black and African-American Communities
NHPCO Diversity Advisory Council Resource Promotes Access to Quality Care Via Outreach & Inclusion
(Alexandria, Va) – Today, in recognition of Black History Month, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) released a new resource, Black and African-American Outreach Guide. This outreach guide is an updated version of a previous NHPCO resource, with new content developed by NHPCO’s Diversity Advisory Council (DAC).
The guide was released in conjunction with a DAC social media takeover day, when the council used NHPCO’s social media platforms to share information about disparities that exist in hospice and palliative care and provide resources that can help improve access to care, including the updated outreach guide.
The topics covered in the outreach guide include disparities in Black/African-American health, outreach as a standard of practice, and strategies for reaching out to Black/African-American communities.
“Hospice and palliative care providers have always been open to caring for anyone who is at the end of life, and that’s what I love about what we do,” said Marisette Hasan, President/CEO of The Carolinas Center and member of NHPCO’s Diversity Advisory Council, in an interview aired during the DAC social media takeover day.
“But as it relates to us working with the community, we have to customize what works for them,” Hasan continued. “So we have to create listening sessions, we have to engage in partnerships. And that guide really gives you a roadmap of what you can do to be successful.”
NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach noted, “In NHPCO’s current facts & figures report, we show that 8.2 percent of Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care in 2018 were African American, a statistic that has been constant in recent years. We must re-commit ourselves to doing better to ensure equitable access to all diverse communities. We hope that resources like this outreach guide will help expand the reach of hospice and community-based palliative care.”
Download Black and African-American Outreach Guide (PDF).
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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973