The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care Establishes a Pediatric Division

The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care announced today that the Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) Task Force, an initiative launched in 2020, will transition from a task force to a division within the organization. The Coalition Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of this change in structure. The pediatric division will be chaired by Rachel Thienprayoon, MD. The division is comprised of interdisciplinary pediatric palliative care leaders from each of the Coalition’s 13 member organizations, as well as aligned stakeholder organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, and the Association of Child Life Professionals, and family advocates. “For decades pediatric palliative care leaders have sought to establish a formal body, which can advocate on behalf of the field and increase access to services. Over the last three years, the task force has made tremendous strides towards forging collaborations across the field to build capacity, align resources, and overcome barriers to pediatric palliative care. We are exceedingly grateful to the Coalition and its Board of Directors for supporting our efforts and for providing us with a home to continue this important work.” stated Chair Dr. Thienprayoon,

“We also want to thank the Cameron and Hayden Lord Foundation and The Y.C. Ho/Helen & Michael Chiang Foundation, whose ongoing financial support has made this possible.” The pediatric division recognizes families as key subject matter experts and actively and intentionally engages families in all aspects of its work.  “From the inception, we have modeled the pediatric palliative care value of respectful collaboration between providers and families as the key to exceptional care. Together we are effective in being family-centered while leading efforts to advance the field as a whole.” Dannell Shu, PPC Family Advocate.

The Coalition launched the task force in response to a convening of national PPC leaders in 2019, which identified the need for a pediatric-specific national task force to set field strategy and build field capacity. The intent of the task force, now the pediatric division, is to improve national alignment and impact by developing partnerships, serving as subject matter experts, assessing needs, and advocating for feasible action items to accelerate advancement of the field and improve children’s access to high-quality palliative care. The work of the division is generously funded by the Cameron and Hayden Lord Foundation and The Y.C. Ho/Helen & Michael Chiang Foundation. A downloadable timeline of the Task Force accomplishments to date is available here.