| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Medicare hospice benefits have helped to provide |
|
|
terminally ill Texans and their families critical assistance for 25 |
|
|
years; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Since hospice benefits were added to the program in |
|
|
1982, hospice care has become a vital part of the state's Medicare |
|
|
system, which includes more than 320 licensed hospice providers |
|
|
operating out of some 428 locations; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Hospice care seeks to reduce the pain of people who |
|
|
are facing terminal illness so that they may live out their |
|
|
remaining days with dignity and quality; a team of compassionate |
|
|
caregivers, including doctors, registered nurses, social workers, |
|
|
chaplains, home health aides, and volunteers, works to support the |
|
|
needs of these patients and their families; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Hundreds of patients receive hospice care |
|
|
throughout the state every day, and as the population continues to |
|
|
age, demand for hospice care is expected to grow; people in the |
|
|
final stage of life deserve to live as fully and comfortably as |
|
|
possible, and Medicare hospice benefits are a crucial component in |
|
|
allowing them to do so; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize the 25th anniversary of the Medicare |
|
|
hospice benefits program and commend the myriad caring hospice |
|
|
professionals throughout the state for their efforts in behalf of |
|
|
patients facing the end of life. |