Circle of Life Awards Recognize Innovative End-of-Life Care Providers

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization and National Hospice Foundation honor the
recipients of the 2008 Circle of Life Award(R). This prestigious award
celebrates innovation in end-of-life care and highlights programs that
demonstrate superior vision, depth, and scope.

Award recipients were announced July 25 at the American Hospital Association's
annual summit in San Diego. This year's Award winners are:
-- Pain and Palliative Care Program, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of
Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota (NHPCO member)

-- Haven Hospice, Gainesville, Florida (NHPCO member)

-- The Pediatric Advanced Care Team, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In addition to the three award winners, AHA presented Citations of Honor to
other exemplary care providers:
-- Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California

-- LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care, Temple Terrace/Tampa, Florida (NHPCO
member)

-- Providence Hospital Palliative Care Services, Washington, D.C. (NHPCO
member)

-- Rice Hospice, Willmar, Minnesota (NHPCO member)

-- Sentara Healthcare/Palliative Care Collaborative, Norfolk, Virginia

-- Joint Palliative Care Programs of the UAB Center for Palliative Care and
the Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama (NHPCO member)

Two of the three Award winners and four of the six citation recipients are
members of NHPCO.

NHPCO and NHF celebrate the work of the award and citation recipients and
applaud them for their work to advance the highest quality hospice and
palliative care.

"These programs serve as models for us all as we move forward in our shared
goal of providing the highest quality of care for all those we serve,"
remarked J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO/NHF president and CEO. "The importance of
quality end-of-life care is at the heart of our organization's strategic plan
and we are proud to celebrate those care providers that are leading the way in
innovation and quality care delivery."

NHF chair James R. Borynack observed, "These programs provide outstanding care
in diverse settings and to diverse populations, which is exactly what NHF
supports. We are proud to have served as a sponsor of the 2008 awards and will
do so again in 2009."

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and National Hospice
Foundation are major sponsors of the 2008 awards as are AARP, the American
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Hospital
Association, and the Catholic Health Association. The 2008 award is supported
in part by the California Healthcare Foundation and the Center for Practical
Bioethics is a co-sponsor.

Since 2000, the Circle of Life Award has honored programs that demonstrate
excellence and innovation in palliative and end-of-life care. Further
information about the honorees and the Circle of Life Award is available at
the AHA Web site,
www.aha.org/aha/news-center/awards/circle-of-life/awardees.html.

NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing
hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States.
NHPCO's mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the
end of life, www.nhpco.org.

National Hospice Foundation is committed to leading global, philanthropic
efforts advancing quality, compassionate, end-of-life care for all. We strive
to empower people around the world to make end-of-life choices that are right
for them and their families, www.nationalhospicefoundation.org.

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations
and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their
communities. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care
leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends,
www.aha.org.

CONTACT: Stephen Connor, Vice President of Research and International
Development, National Hospice Foundation, +1-703-837-3149, sconnor@nhpco.org

SOURCE National Hospice Foundation

Stephen Connor, Vice President of Research and International Development,
National Hospice Foundation, +1-703-837-3149, sconnor@nhpco.org