Outstanding Hospice Volunteers Honored at National Conference in Orlando

NHPCO Presents Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There are more than 450,000 trained, hospice volunteers contributing more than 21 million hours annually to hospice organizations across the country.  Three outstanding hospice volunteers were honored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for their extraordinary efforts to serve patients and families nearing the end of life and the organizations that care for them.

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Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards were presented at NHPCO's 13th Clinical Team Conference held at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel where more than 1,400 hospice and palliative care professionals gathered for the conference.

NHPCO President and CEO J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD, said, "One of the highlights of my job is meeting the staff and volunteers working in hospices across the country. Each and every hospice volunteer deserves recognition and the highest of accolades but the volunteers we are recognizing today truly demonstrate an outstanding level of commitment and passion."

Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards recognize exemplary hospice volunteers in three categories of service: Patient/Family Support; Organizational Support; and Teen Service. The volunteers selected for this recognition best reflect the universal concept of volunteerism in its truest sense: Serving as an inspiration to others.

The 2012 award recipients and their specific areas of service are:

• Chuck Mirasola, a volunteer with the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Florida's Bay Pines VA for Patient/Family Support.  He has given more than 12,500 hours of volunteer service to the Bay Pines VA, with eight years service to patients and families on the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit.
• Richard W. Jett, Jr, CPA, a volunteer with Hospice of East Texas in Tyler for Organizational Support. He has been a volunteer for 30 consecutive years – without interruption of service to the hospice. This includes three terms as a board member and one term as board chair.
• Deanna Wright, a volunteer with Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado in Grand Junction for Teen Service. She began her service with hospice at the age of 12 and has been a dedicated volunteer involved in many aspects of the organization for the past six years.

Adding to the enthusiasm at the awards ceremony was recognition of November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.   

"The service of volunteers—in every aspect of hospice and palliative care—is truly a gift of caring that makes a world of difference to patients, families and the organization's they serve," Schumacher added.

Information about hospice and palliative care is available from NHPCO's Caring Connections at www.CaringInfo.org.

Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO, Vice President of Communications
Ph: 703-837-3139
[email protected]

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.

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization