Two U.S. senators have reintroduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA).
The legislation, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., aims to grow, improve and sustain the palliative care and hospice workforce.
The release said over the last 10 years, the number of hospital-based palliative care programs has quickly increased, but the number of providers available to fulfill the needs of these patients has not kept pace.
“Having served as a caregiver for my parents living with Alzheimer’s disease, I understand how important palliative and hospice care is and appreciate how much support and comfort it provides to patients and their families,” Capito said in a release.
“In order to preserve access to this care, we have to strengthen training and education options for individuals working in these fields, and that’s what this bill would do."
The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act would strengthen training for new and existing physicians, those who teach palliative care, and other providers who are part of the palliative care team to give patients and their families a voice in their care and treatment goals.
It would also boost palliative care research and provides academic and career awards to incentivize the practice and study of palliative and hospice care.
The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; and John Hoeven, R-N.D.