Current Events

Apr
3
Wed
Legislative Committee Meeting – Advocacy Day
Apr 3 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Apr
9
Tue
POLST Committee Meeting
Apr 9 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Apr
15
Mon
NHPCO-DC (+HAN) Meeting @ DC
Apr 15 – Apr 17 all-day
Apr
17
Wed
Communications & Membership Committee Meeting
Apr 17 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
May
7
Tue
Education Committee Meeting
May 7 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
May
14
Tue
POLST Committee Meeting
May 14 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
May
15
Wed
Board of Directors Meeting
May 15 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Regional Meeting
May 15 @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Jun
4
Tue
Education Committee Meeting
Jun 4 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Jun
11
Tue
Legislative Committee Meeting
Jun 11 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am

IL-HPCO Partners with POLST Illinois
to Promote Awareness, Education

The Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (IL-HPCO) is partnering with POLST Illinois, combining efforts to strengthen awareness, education and advocacy related to advance care planning and the understanding and implementation of the Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) throughout the state.

“We are proud to be able to announce this partnership during November, National Hospice and Palliative Care Month,” said Sarah Bealles, Chair, IL-HPCO Board of Director and President & CEO of JourneyCare, an Illinois-based hospice and palliative care agency. “The national theme this year is ‘Know Your Options.’ Together, IL-HPCO and POLST Illinois will be able to have a greater voice in building awareness and enhancing education, training and advocacy about advance care planning statewide.”

A POLST form is a signed medical order that travels with the patient to ensure that a patient’s treatment preferences are honored across settings of care. It can help prevent unwanted or medially ineffective treatment, reduce patient and family suffering and help ensure a patient’s wishes are honored.

POLST is designed for people with a chronic, progressive disease or a serious medical condition and is an important part of advance care planning. It replaces the Do Not Resuscitate Practitioner Order (DNR).

Illinois POLST now becomes part of IL-HPCO, the only organization representing hospice and palliative care in the state of Illinois. IL-HPCO and POLST Illinois share a common goal of promoting quality care through informed end-of-life conversations and shared decision making, and ensuring that those with serious illness receive the treatments they want and don’t receive the treatments they don’t want.