Dr. Hamilton Comments on Hospice Industry
Protests about USA Today Articles.
August 25, 2001
Letters Editor
USA Today
editor@usatoday.com
"The Painful Truth of Hospice" (August 20, 2001) provides a much needed
public alert. It's warning about financial pressures on hospice
organizations compromising patient care must be heeded by all of us. One HMO I know of
restricts funds available for home health care, including hospice, to a
meager $1,000, total. This same HMO fully funds assisted suicide as an
alternative to medical care in my state of Oregon. This is the only state
that allows assisted suicide; but inadequate hospice care can lead to desperation
and suffering anywhere.
Responsible hospice organizations should welcome
the clear light your article sheds on a serious problem. Any conscientious
medical organization wants to recognize problems and correct them, not hush
them up. Thanks to USA Today for responsible reporting on this subject of
life and death importance.
N. Gregory Hamilton, M.D.
Physicians for Compassionate Care
Portland, Oregon
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Hospice Patients Alliance affirms that all human life is inherently valuable and that the role of hospice nurses, physicians and all other staff is to alleviate suffering and provide comfort for the sick and dying without sanctioning or assisting their suicide. A death with dignity allows for a natural death in its own time, while doing everything possible to assure relief from distressing symptoms.
Sign up for the Hospice-Issues Online Email Discussion Group
at Hospice Patients Alliance
http://lists.hospicepatients.org/mailman/listinfo/hospice-issues
Click on the Hospice Issues link above and then you can sign up to join the discussion of issues in hospice and end of life care, and you will begin to receive email messages from the members of the discussion group. All you need to do is enter your email address, along with your own password, and click the "Subscribe" button.
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