NHPCO Issues Proclamation Honoring Hospice Volunteers, April 17-23, 2022

Volunteers are the Heart of Hospice

Newburgh, NY- In recognition of National Volunteer Week (April 17 – 23), Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, Inc. recognizes the importance and dedication of our volunteers. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has issued the following proclamation to celebrate the contributions and gifts of America’s dedicated hospice volunteers.

During the past two years, while the world was coping with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers remained active in helping support staff needs in the office, making calls to patients and team members, letting them know they were not forgotten, creating cards and gift baskets to bolster spirits, helping with outreach and fundraisers, and doing what they could within safety guidelines to let patients and families know that they were being thought of and cared for despite the public health emergency.

“Hospice volunteers play an indispensable role in enabling hospice and palliative care organizations to offer the highest-quality care and support possible for the people they serve. By sharing their time, energy, and expertise, volunteers bring compassion and caring to the lives of those in need,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.

NHPCO National Volunteer Week Proclamation

Whereas volunteering is an essential activity for millions of Americans throughout the U.S., the compassionate individuals who serve as trained hospice volunteers deserve special recognition during this week of celebration and awareness;

Whereas these dedicated hospice volunteers give of their time and talent in support of patients and families who are our relatives, friends, and neighbors;

Whereas these volunteers are essential members of hospice and palliative care teams that care for an estimated 1.55 million hospice patients every year and ensure that they live with hope, dignity, and love despite serious and life-limiting illnesses;

Whereas hospice volunteers contribute in creative ways to support health care workers as well as patients and families during this time of a global pandemic;

Whereas National Volunteer Week provides the opportunity to recognize the contributions of these caring hospice volunteers and raise awareness of the benefits of hospice and palliative care;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the NHPCO board of directors do hereby proclaim April 17 – 23, 2022, as National Volunteer Week across the U.S. and encourage the support and participation of all citizens in learning more about and participating in the provision of hospice and palliative care to those in our community.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Board of Directors
April 17, 2022

To learn more about volunteering, please go to:  https://hospiceoforange.com/volunteers/