The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is the largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. The organization is committed to improving quality and increasing access to quality end-of-life care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for people dying in America and their loved ones.
NHPCO advocates for the terminally ill and their families; it develops public and professional educational programs and materials to enhance understanding and availability of hospice and palliative care; convenes frequent meetings and symposia on emerging issues; provides technical informational resources to its membership; conducts research; monitors Congressional and regulatory activities; and works closely with other organizations that share an interest in end-of-life care.
NHPCO’s is one of a family of affiliated organizations that includes the National Hospice Foundation, the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Alliance for Care at the End of Life. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the affiliated organizations are located in a building known as the National Center for Care at the End of Life, a suburb of Washington, DC.
NHPCO was founded in 1978 as the National Hospice Organization. The organization changed its name in February 2000 to include palliative care which shares the same core values and philosophies as hospice care.