07/21/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/21/2025 15:57
HYDE-SMITH BACKS BIPARTISAN BILL TO STRENGTHEN PALLIATIVE & HOSPICE CARE WORKFORCE
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced her continued support for legislation aimed to strengthen the palliative and hospice care workforce as America's population ages and the demand for care grows.
Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) (S.2287), a bipartisan measure designed to build and support a stronger palliative and hospice care workforce, increase public awareness, and expand research.
"As our population ages, the need for high-quality, compassionate palliative and hospice care will only continue to grow. This legislation takes a practical, forward-looking approach at preparing our healthcare system for that demand, and ensures that patients and families can count on receiving the care they need during some of life's most difficult moments," Hyde-Smith said. "This is a commonsense step toward a stronger and more responsive healthcare system, and I am proud to reaffirm my commitment to seeing it through."
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) reintroduced PCHETA, which focuses on three critical areas:
Medical research consistently shows that timely access to palliative and hospice care improves quality of life, reduces unnecessary hospitalizations and costs, and in many cases, leads to better health outcomes and longer survival.
S.2287 has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Additional original cosponsors include U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
###