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.
“Kōkua Mau is honored to be recognized nationally for our work to help the people of Hawaiʻi,” said Jeannette Koijane, Executive Director, Kōkua Mau. “For the last 25 years, we have worked to give the people of Hawaiʻi facing serious illness, their loved ones and those that care for them resources, information and support including expanding care options. Our movement aims to make conversations around serious illness the norm in Hawaiʻi, with more people understanding the decisions they may need to make and where to find resources. We look forward to continuing to work with people across the state as we all look to care for our loved ones.”
Palliative Care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness and provides relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and loved ones. This care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
Kōkua Mau is a Movement to Improve Care for those with serious illness and their loved ones. They are Hawaii’s trusted resource for accurate information on Advance Care Planning including Advance Directives and POLST, palliative care, which provides relief from the symptoms and stress of illness, and hospice care which provides the best care possible at the end of life. (Kōkua Mau means ‘Continuous Care‘ in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.) Visit the website at kokuamau.org
Collaborating since 1999 as a network of organizations and individuals, Kōkua Mau brings to the forefront meaningful, thoughtful and sensitive conversations on improving care and support for those with serious illness. They work to ensure that every individual has the right to quality care throughout their lives, including at the end of life. Kōkua Mau advocates for quality palliative care and hospice care within the medical and legislative communities in Hawai‘i.
For further information contact Jeannette Koijane, Executive Director.
(We won the last Trailblazer Award for Kokua Mau in 2013.)