Hospice and the Need For Community Education

According to this 2015 article from New York Times, federal statistics showed that “nearly half of white Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in hospice before death, compared with only a third of black patients”.  The article said that black Americans are far more likely than white Americans to choose life-sustaining interventions.

Black Americans tended to have more mistrust for the medical community and a lack of education as to the benefits of hospice care.  In this regard, it is imperative for hospice workers to reach out to this community through education (Hospice 101) and the sharing of how the program has positively impacted the lives of African-Americans in particular.