Continuum of Care:  When there is a seamless care continuum, providers work together to develop a coordinated plan that addresses physical, emotional, social, spiritual, caregiving, nutritional, safety and other needs.  In some communities one or two agencies work together to offer a range of services along the continuum, while in other communities multiple organizations work together to ensure that needs are met.  The common thread is that all models feature conversations about when and how to infuse palliative care throughout the disease trajectory.

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As part of its mission to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, NHPCO has created the Mary J. Labyak Institute for Innovation. The Institute, which is named after the late hospice pioneer, Mary J. Labyak, is designed to continue her legacy of listening, learning and innovating.

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Opening access to everyone in your community requires a commitment to inclusion and a strategic approach to meeting the specific needs of those in the communities you serve.  This page is organized to help NHPCO members easily find and utilize resources to improve access to end-of-life care through a variety of program development, education, outreach and marketing strategies.

 Inclusion and Access Toolbox – becoming an inclusive organization

Creating the Care Continuum NHPCO believes that hospices are the experts in caring for people living with serious and life-limiting illness and encourages hospices that have the capacity to assess the need for new services in the community(ies) they serve, with the goal of developing a seamless continuum of care. NHPCO's Continuum of Care Assessment NHPCO's Continuum of Care Assessment is designed to walk your organization through a process of determining the types of services available to people in your community and the settings in which they are offered.  The Excel Workbook guides you through an 8 step process to guide your organization through this process.

Hospice in the Care Continuum – A compendium of articles from the past year of NewsLine that demonstrate some of the ways providers are engaging and expanding the care continuum in communities across the country.

Increasing Access to Underserved Communities

• Children
• Corrections
• Disease-specific
  • Disease-Specific Organizational Assessment
  • ALS
  • Dementia
  • Kidney
• Ethnic
  • African American
  • Chinese Outreach Guide
  • Latino Outreach Guide
• Faith
• Resources for Rural Providers
• Veterans
• Workplace

Nursing Facilities and Long Term Care

• Long-Term Care - this page features a range of resources from the Nursing Home/Hospice Partnership Project.

Outreach and Marketing Tools and Tips

• Outreach Materials: NHPCO’s Community Outreach Tools and Resources 
• Caring Connections LIVE Campaign
• Caring Connections Outreach Resources
• Marketing Hospice - A Core Competency in Competitive Markets Identifies the key components of a successful hospice marketing campaign to help discern the advantages of provider and direct-to-consumer marketing strategies. Caring Connections provides strategies and tools to help your organization reach out, educate and engage people in your community and state.  Click here to see Outreach Strategies and Tools.