"Celebrations of Life" Campaign Sparks Meaningful Conversation During National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

MIAMI, Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAS Healthcare, the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care, today announced the launch of "Celebrations of Life," a social media campaign during November's National Hospice & Palliative Care Awareness month. With more than 1.4 million people receiving hospice care in the U.S. each year, the "Celebrations of Life" campaign aims to bring awareness to, and drive conversations around, the importance of celebrating life, particularly at the end.

Throughout the month of November, VITAS will highlight the extraordinary people who play critical roles in the hospice industry, especially the dedicated and committed hospice teams who provide compassionate care to hospice patients each day.

"While the end of life is usually thought of as a time of fear and sadness, our employees routinely go above and beyond to honor and celebrate life with our patients and their families," said Nick Westfall, President and CEO of VITAS Healthcare. "Many people have eye-opening, even life-defining experiences when they first encounter hospice, whether through a loved one's compassionate care, a hospice career or a volunteer opportunity with a hospice provider. By featuring our stories of lives well lived and last wishes honored, we hope to bring much-needed awareness and appreciation for what hospice care can provide."

The "Celebrations of Life" campaign features stories of VITAS teams that made sure patients were able to experience one last fishing excursion, a final baseball game, a daughter's wedding, another daughter's high-school graduation, several thrilling laps around a NASCAR track, a military salute for a 100-year-old veteran, a long overdue visit with a horse and one final trip to the beach.

VITAS is asking individuals to share their personal stories about hospice care on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter during November by using the hashtag #NHPCM. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the positive impact of hospice, create an online conversation that showcases the value of care and spark meaningful dialogue.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is observed each November to raise awareness of the high-quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing a serious illness or the end of life.

About VITAS^® Healthcare
Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 48 hospice programs in 14 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,388 professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 28 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the third quarter of 2019, VITAS reported an average daily census of 19,137. Visit www.vitas.com.

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SOURCE VITAS Healthcare