Recognize Your Constituents – Patients, Providers, Caregivers – During National Home Care Month in November

National Home Care and Hospice Month is coming next week, as we turn the calendar to November. There are numerous ways you can show your support for home care and hospice staff, patients, and services.

HCA has long encouraged elected officials to go on home care visits — an opportunity to meet home care constituents in-person and see home care and hospice firsthand. While COVID-19 precludes this vital form of engagement, at least for the time being, there are many other ways that you can connect with your constituents in home care and hospice, such as:

  • Posting a video message on social media.
  • Issuing a proclamation.
  • Holding a town hall meeting on Zoom to learn more about your constituents’ community care needs.
  • Publishing an op-ed or letter to the editor reflecting on home care and informing the public about its role … and so much more.

As we’ve reported in recent editions of Capitol Report, HCA’s Home Care Heroes campaign has been profiling distinguished nurses, therapists and operational staff in home care and hospice. That number of Home Care Heroes has grown to over 30 unique, emotionally moving, and iconic profiles. Next week, we will be issuing a press release promoting their stories in the media.

“During the COVID‐19 health emergency, thousands of home care and hospice aides, nurses and therapists marshaled their unique skills and capacity for caring to help patients amid new fears, anxieties and intensified needs,” says HCA President Al Cardillo in the draft press release set for distribution next week. “Their contributions to the pandemic response are nothing short of miraculous, in large part because their great work has exemplified what home care has always accomplished, during ordinary times, to address countless individual needs and urgencies.”

“There is no better time than National Home Care Month, in November, to honor their service and heroism,” he added.

See here for further tips on what you can do during National Home Care Month.

HCA’s Communications Director Roger Noyes is also happy to help with background content and more. He can be reached at rnoyes@hcanys.org.

Please take this opportunity to raise awareness and recognize the contributions of your constituents providing care to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.