HOSPICELINK helps people seeking information and education about hospice care, and makes referrals to hospices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The national toll free telephone number is 800-331-1620.

HOSPICELINK is a service of the Hospice Education Institute, an independent non-profit organization founded in 1985. There is no charge for any HOSPICELINK service. Since taking its first call in 1986, HOSPICELINK has helped literally hundreds of thousands of people in facing the challenges of coping with end-of-life issues.

"HOSPICELINK is a very personal service," states Michal Galazka, Executive Director of the Hospice Education Institute. "In an increasingly impersonal world, our HOSPICELINK telephones are answered by real, live human beings, who are both compassionate and competent. We have time to talk, time to listen, and time to help in anyway we can."

Over 3,000 local hospices all across the United States care for people as life draws to its close. Good hospice care affirms and cherishes life, helping patients and their loved ones live each day to its fullest. Hospice care neither shortens nor lengthens life. It is a dignified and gentle way of caring for people.

When cure is no longer possible, and length of life is limited, hospices give expert care. Hospice nurses and doctors know the simplest and best ways to treat symptoms, especially how to control pain.

Hospice care uses specially trained teams of professionals and community volunteers to offer medical and nursing care, hands-on practical assistance, and emotional and spiritual support when requested, including bereavement support after the patient's death. Hospice care empowers patients and families to choose the type of care they want, in the place where they want to be.

Hospices care for people with advanced cancer and many other illnesses, including lung diseases, heart diseases, end-stage AIDS, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's Disease. Most hospices can care for both adults and children. While hospices prefer to give care at home, help can also be given in many hospitals, nursing homes, and in special hospice in-patient houses. Medicare and most private health insurance plans include hospice care as a covered benefit.

Modern hospice care began in England in 1967 at St. Christopher's Hospice in London, and came to the United States in 1974. Hospice care (sometimes called "palliative care") is now offered in all areas of the United States, and in over 44 countries around the world. The World Health Organization has identified hospice and palliative care as an essential part of each nation's health care system, and has published definitions and standards of good end-of-life care.

HOSPICELINK maintains a continually-updated computer database of all hospices, nationally and internationally, so that referrals are accurate, and appropriate to each patient's needs. The Hospice Education Institute, sponsor of HOSPICELINK, accepts no government grants or corporate funding, no membership fees, and no sponsorship by health care organizations or HMO's.

HOSPICELINK is made possible by gifts from members of the public. "We cherish our independence and our non?profit status,? emphasizes Michal Galazka. "Our mission is to help people, and to encourage the best possible end-of-life care. We offer good advice, education, and referrals to local hospices without bias, and with the patient and family's needs in mind. But above all, we have the time and the interest to listen."

In addition to HOSPICELINK, the Hospice Education Institute offers many other services to the general public, and to the health care community worldwide. The annual Hospice & Palliative Care Study Seminar in Britain brings together hospice and health care professionals from around the world to share information and learn about the latest techniques of good hospice care. People from 43 countries have attended these annual sessions, and scholarships are offered by the Hospice Education Institute to deserving applicants with limited finances. The Institute also supports educational programs offered by local and regional hospice organizations.

The Hospice Education Institute publishes the definitive quick-reference textbook on hospice care, NOTES ON SYMPTOM CONTROL IN HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE CARE. This 387-page book is used daily in hospices throughout the world, and has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Polish and Spanish. In early 2004, the entire text of this book will be available on the Internet at www.hospiceworld.org.

The Hospice Education Institute started an innovative Small Gift Program in June 2000. This program responds quickly to non-medical requests from needy hospice patients, as these are identified and reported to us by local hospice care teams. Gifts have been made to residents of all states and the District of Columbia. Gift requests are evaluated by the Hospice Education Institute within one business day, and approvals are promptly faxed to the local hospice, which then delivers the gift. Gifts have included oscillating room fans for people with lung diseases; emergency payments to maintain essential telephone services; a bird feeder to be hung outside a bedridden person's window; airline and bus tickets to unite families at the bedside of dying patients; and a large?print Holy Bible for a person with very limited sight. Says Michelle Bacry, Associate Director of the Hospice Education Institute, "It is wonderful how a few dollars from our Small Gift Fund, sent quickly and without `red tape', can often make a positive difference in the lives of dying patients and those who love them." The Small Gift Program is made possible by the generosity of the public, and the cooperation of local hospice caregivers.

The Hospice Education Institute is an independent, non-profit organization, located in Machiasport, Maine. It holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Founded in 1985, the Hospice Education Institute has played an important role in encouraging good hospice care, and in educating both health professionals and members of the public about the possibilities, principles and practices of good end-of-life care. Its major programs include HOSPICELINK; the Small Gift Program; the Cooperative Education grants; seminars on hospice and palliative care; and publications appropriate for both health care professionals and the public.

For more information about the Hospice Education Institute and its many programs and services, please call 800-331-1620 or 207-255-8800, e-mail the organization at hospiceall@aol.com, or write to Three Unity Square, P O. Box 98, Machiasport, Maine 04655-0098. HOSPICELINK lines are open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, Eastern Time.