Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 103 Part 3.djvu/1084

 103 STAT. 3152 PROCLAMATION 6061—NOV. 7, 1989 Proclamation 6061 of November 7, 1989 i' National Hospice Month, 1989 and 1990 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation ^ Employing the skills of a full cadre of health care professionals and volunteers—including physicians, nurses, counselors, therapists, and members of the clergy—^hospice care enables terminally ill individuals to live peacefully and comfortably in their final days. The dedicated men and women who provide hospice care help terminally ill patients to face natural death without feeling alone or unprepared. They also help patients' families cope with emotional suffering and loss. A vital portion of our Nation's health care system, hospice programs reaffirm the inherent dignity and worth of each individual while underscoring our reverence for hirnian life. In recent years, the public and private sectors have forged a unique partnership in the development of hospice programs and services for terminally ill individuals and their families. Today, a permanent Medi- care hospice benefit and the implementation of a hospice benefit by several State Medicaid programs enable more terminally ill Americans to obtain needed care. Many private insurance companies and employ- ers also provide hospice benefits in health care coverage packages. These programs are helping to ensure that hospice care remains a posi- tive, viable alternative for terminally ill individuals and their loved ones. In acknowledgement of the value of hospice programs and in grateful recognition of the thousands of health care professionals and volun- teers who care for the terminally ill, the Congress, by Senate Joint Res- olution 78, has designated the months of November 1989 and 1990 as "National Hospice Month" and has authorized and requested the Presi- dent to issue a proclamation in observance of these months. , NOW. THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the months of November 1989 and 1990 as National Hospice Month. I urge all government agencies, hospice or- ganizations, health care providers, and the people of the United States to observe these months with appropriate programs and activities de- signed to encourage recognition of and support for hospice care as a humane response to the needs of the terminally ill and as a viable com- ponent of our Nation's health care system. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty- nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth. GEORGE BUSH

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