August 1, 2024: The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and Council of States has awarded Kōkua Mau with the prestigious Trailblazer Award, recognizing their extraordinary efforts in establishing palliative care initiatives to improve care for those with serious illness in Hawaiʻi. Kōkua Mau is a statewide coalition whose mission is to improve care for those with serious illness.
“Kōkua Mau was instrumental in securing CMS approval of a new Palliative Care Service Benefit for their Medicaid population, the first in the United States,” said (Logan M. Hoover, Vice President of Policy and Government Relations), National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “This achievement is the result of years of work and collaboration with their partners to improve care for those with serious illness. Kōkua Mau serves as an example that all states can look to when looking for pathways to expand access to palliative care.”
Established in 2012, the NHPCO Trailblazer Award recognizes state organizations demonstrating high levels of excellence, innovation, and leadership that expand access to hospice care and palliative care, promote quality, and increase awareness. More
(We won the last Trailblazer Award for Kokua Mau in 2013.)