$ 750,000 Grant of Fujitsu Technology Awarded to Hospice Buffalo
Hospice Buffalo one of 15 model programs to receive Fujitsu technology
For Immediate Release
Contact: Rosemary J. Collins, Manager of Public Relations
Day, (716) 686-8259
rcollins@palliativecare.org; www.hospicebuffalo.com
NHPCO contact: Jon Radulovic, VP of Communications 703/837-3139
jradulovic@nhpco.org
Dec. 27, 2006 (Cheektowaga, NY) – Hospice Buffalo received a great New Year’s gift today when the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization (NHPCO) announced the agency will receive $ 750,000 in Fujitsu products and services. The large grant is part of a $ 30 million independently managed technology grant program that will help to transform the U.S. hospice industry. In total, more than $ 13 million in Fujitsu products and services will be provided to 15 model hospice providers throughout the U.S. and NHPCO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Through this grant, hospice organizations around the country will receive state-of-the-art technologies including tablet PCs and notebook computers, servers and external hard disk drives, imaging scanners, video conferencing equipment, plasma screens, Fujitsu security technologies, and more. These tools will allow for real-time record keeping that will facilitate communication amongst the care team, improve patient outcomes through reduced response times and optimized support for family caregivers, enable care providers to spend more time in the field and less time at their desks, speed administrative processing and billing, and offer state-of-the-art training opportunities for staff and volunteers. This will build capacity and spur innovation throughout the field.
“The technology grant will offer wonderful tools for improved communication and timely access to patient information at the bedside, enabling us to enhance the quality of care to more than 450 patients and their families we care for each day, “said William E. Finn, President and CEO of Hospice Buffalo. “This innovative technology will enable us to assist the patient and caregiver in making the best informed decisions to alleviate pain and other distressing symptoms that often accompany end-of-life illnesses.”
NHPCO reports that more than 1.2 million people received care from hospices in the U.S. last year. With the country experiencing the aging of the baby-boomers, the need for care at the end of life is increasing. For several years, the hospice industry has seen consistent growth of about 12 percent a year in patients served. With 80 percent of hospice care delivered in the home – wherever the patient calls home – the need to help care professionals maximize time in the field is critical to quality care delivery. Growth in hospice providers has also risen, from one hospice in 1974 to more than 4,100 providers today.
“The Fujitsu products and services will provide cutting-edge solutions to NHPCO and 15 well-deserving providers that will have an impact that extends throughout the industry,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “NHPCO will work with the grantee hospices to share lessons learned and successful operational models that are proven to advance quality of care, service delivery, and improve hospice operations. Through these grants, care at the bedside of dying Americans will be potentially transformed.”
"The work that the Hospice does is very inspiring, and it’s great to know that the Fujitsu products and services will help providers streamline their work processes and make life more comfortable for the patients in their care," remarked Lorne Wilson, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. “Hospice has the heart and the passion, and we are pleased that the integration of the new technologies will make a difference for everyone involved."
The value of the technologies and services going out to hospices provides an unprecedented opportunity for the industry to benefit from state-of-the-art technology that is more commonly seen in traditional business sectors.
“We look forward to the work we will be able to accomplish with these new resources and expertise. NHPCO’s Quality Partners Institute that we have on the drawing board will become operational years before it otherwise would have,” Schumacher noted.
Hospice Buffalo provides medical care, emotional and spiritual support to more than 450 patients with serious illness and their families each day in homes, hospitals, assisted living/nursing homes, the Mary and Ralph Wilson, Jr. Hospice Inpatient Unit, and the Hospice Buffalo House. It is one of the largest hospice and palliative care programs in the nation.
Hospice Grant Recipients:
Alive Hospice Inc.
Alliance of Community Hospices and Palliative Care Services, Inc.
Hospice of Bluegrass
Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc/ Hospice Buffalo, Inc.
Capital Hospice Inc.
Continuum Hospice Care
Hospice Care Network
Hospice of Dayton Inc.
Hospice of Michigan
Hospice of Western Reserve Inc.
Hope of Southwest Florida
LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care
National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
Pathways Home Health and Hospice
Hospice of Southern Illinois Inc.
The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast
NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCO’s mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, www.nhpco.org.
