1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 161 1-3 WHEREAS, Hospice care emerged in the United States in the 1-4 1970s to provide a combination of the benefits of modern medicine 1-5 with the dignity of the natural dying process to provide terminally 1-6 ill patients the opportunity to live out their final days in 1-7 dignity and in a warm, friendly environment, such as the home 1-8 or a home-like environment without the fear of dying in pain 1-9 or alone; and 1-10 WHEREAS, There are more than 3,000 hospices in the 1-11 United States served by 25,000 health care professionals and 1-12 more than 100,000 volunteers which have provided care to more 1-13 than 1,000,000 Americans; and 1-14 WHEREAS, More than 150 licensed hospices serve Texans in 1-15 communities throughout the state and have brought hospice care 1-16 to tens of thousands of Texans; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Hospices not only manage medical care and provide 1-18 an answer to emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their 1-19 families, but also provide support services such as bereavement 1-20 programs, memorial services, and counseling; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Hospices provide cancer care to more than one-half 1-22 of all terminally ill cancer patients in America and many more 1-23 suffering from heart and kidney disease, AIDS, and Alzheimer's 1-24 disease; and 2-1 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service has issued a 2-2 commemorative "Hospice Care" first-class stamp in recognition 2-3 of the hospices and the patients, patient families, volunteers, 2-4 and health care professionals whose lives have been touched by 2-5 the high quality compassionate end-of-life care made available 2-6 through hospice programs; and 2-7 WHEREAS, A celebration of the issuance of the "Hospice Care" 2-8 commemoration stamp will be held on the South Steps of the 2-9 State Capitol on Tuesday, February 9, at 11:00 a.m., to which 2-10 all friends and supporters of hospice are invited; now, therefore, 2-11 be it 2-12 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-13 76th Legislature, hereby designate Tuesday, February 9, 1999, 2-14 as "Texas Hospice Day" in honor of Texas hospice patients and 2-15 their families and the hospice programs, health care professionals, 2-16 and volunteers who serve them. 2-17 Zaffirini 2-18 Nelson 2-19 ______________________________________ 2-20 President of the Senate 2-21 I hereby certify that the above 2-22 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 2-23 on February 8, 1999. 2-24 ______________________________________ 2-25 Secretary of the Senate 2-26 ______________________________________ 2-27 Member, Texas Senate 2-28 ______________________________________ 2-29 Member, Texas Senate