HHC received a Circle of Life Award from the American Hospital Association (AHA) last month for its model Palliative Care program for patients at the end of life or facing life-threatening illness. AHA gave HHC a Citation of Honor for its strong corporate leadership commitment and system-wide approach to developing palliative care programs across the 11 public hospitals in New York City.

Palliative Care is a $3 million program that saw 4,360 in-patients and 1,868 outpatient visits in FY 2009. The program is built around teams that include doctors, specialists, nurses, social workers, chaplains, psychologists, ethicists and others, all of whom provide inpatient and outpatient services to help patients manage symptoms, relieve pain, plan medical treatment and achieve the best possible quality of life.

Learn more and see the video about Palliative Care at HHC hospitals.