[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 9, 2004)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65051-65052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25168]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 65051]]


                Proclamation 7843 of November 4, 2004

                
National Hospice Month, 2004

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Hospice programs are a vital part of our Nation's 
                health care system. They provide comfort, peace, and 
                dignity for individuals in the final stage of life and 
                their families. During National Hospice Month, we 
                recognize the dedicated professionals and volunteers 
                who provide hospice care, and we emphasize the 
                importance of respecting and honoring life in all of 
                its seasons.

                For many terminally ill patients, hospice care is a 
                compassionate alternative to traditional care at a 
                hospital or nursing home. Hospice physicians, nurses, 
                counselors, and volunteers focus on making patients as 
                comfortable as possible, while allowing patients to 
                remain at home and close to their families. With 
                comprehensive assistance, these caregivers help control 
                pain and other symptoms and provide emotional and 
                spiritual support to both patient and family. In 2002, 
                according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care 
                Organization, an estimated 885,000 individuals were 
                admitted to one of the over 3,000 hospice programs in 
                the United States.

                My Administration has acted to strengthen and modernize 
                Medicare for our seniors, and we remain committed to 
                providing a health care system that meets the needs of 
                every patient. Hospice services are covered by 
                Medicare, and many States offer hospice care under 
                their Medicaid programs. The Medicare legislation that 
                I signed into law last December provides that Medicare 
                will, for the first time, cover hospice consultation 
                services so that terminally ill patients and their 
                families will better understand end-of-life issues and 
                care options. The legislation also makes the program 
                more flexible and responsive to the needs of patients, 
                allows patients to designate a nurse practitioner to 
                coordinate their hospice care, and directs the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services to explore ways 
                to make hospice care more widely available to 
                beneficiaries who live in rural areas.

                Americans believe in the worth and dignity of every 
                person, and we are promoting a culture of life in our 
                Nation. By caring for life at every stage, we can 
                create a more compassionate and merciful world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim November 2004 as National 
                Hospice Month. I encourage all our citizens to observe 
                this month with appropriate programs and activities. I 
                also ask Americans to recognize our health care 
                professionals and volunteers for their contributions to 
                helping those facing terminal illness receive quality 
                care.

[[Page 65052]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand four, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 04-25168
Filed 11-8-04; 9:39 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P