Carol Weir is chief clinical officer at Lewiston-based Andwell Health Partners.

Hospice organizations take pride in our responsibility to support, comfort and advocate for patients in their last months of life. By spending quality time with patients and families, and understanding their priorities and wishes, hospice care teams provide a uniquely personal support system that allows patients to stay connected to the things that matter most. We consider it a privilege to shepherd people during such a sensitive time in their lives. And because of that privilege, we take the integrity of our community and our profession very seriously. 

When asked what I do, specific patient stories often come to mind. One that stands out is a 14-year-old boy named Jacob.

When Jacob was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of bone cancer, he spent two years battling the disease before he and his family decided to seek hospice care.

Nurses described him as warm, genuine and compassionate with a variety of creative interests, including arts and crafts, sewing, cooking and making videos for social media. Unfortunately, his diagnosis made it difficult to explore his creativity, affecting his mood and desire for care.

While providing the complex level of care Jacob needed when he entered hospice, his team also identified ways to lean into his creativity. His medical team advocated for items like craft supplies and a tablet to help him pursue creative projects and stay connected remotely with other kids following his journey. Jacob’s care team helped him find joy and distraction during his hardest moments. 

By engaging in various activities with Jacob, his hospice team was able to initiate conversations and build trust, which allowed them to gain a better understanding of exactly what made Jacob happy and comfortable as his condition progressed. 

Jacob dreamed of learning how to drive and starting a business to sell his crafts. With supplies gifted from his hospice team and the local community, Jacob designed bold, beautiful earrings for his nurses and therapists. Seeing his care team wearing his jewelry brought an incredible amount of joy to Jacob, making one of his dreams a reality.

These may seem like small accomplishments to most, but to individuals in hospice, the simplest moments offer the greatest happiness. We make that happen for our patients and their families.

I share this story because I feel strongly that hospice care in America has been dealt a rough hand recently. Outlier examples of fraud and abuse in the news overshadow the exceptional, professional, compassionate and personalized care hospice programs provide day in and day out.

Without a doubt, bad actors should be eradicated from the Medicare program, and government oversight reforms are needed to ensure that programs designed to meet the needs of sick and dying Americans are not being abused. No legitimate or credible providers dispute that.

But we must not lose sight of the quality care patients like Jacob are receiving from skilled, reliable, warm, nurturing and empathetic hospice teams in every corner of our country.

Our mission has never wavered. While policymakers and industry leaders sort out how to strengthen the Medicare program, we will keep doing what we do best: providing the personalized and compassionate care that our patients and their families deserve. 

Proven, trusted and high-quality hospice care has and always will be about offering human connection, safety and dignity at the end of life. As providers, we understand that hospice has the power to keep patients connected to the people and activities that matter most.  

I encourage lawmakers and the public to look past the noise and see that hospice is needed in America.