California Fire Update: HFA Responds with Donation

(Nov. 1) – In response to financial needs of hospice patients and families affected by recent wildfires in Southern California, Hospice Foundation of America will donate $5000 to the California Hospice Families Relief Fund to help hospice families with extraordinary expenses incurred as a result of the fires.

The California Hospice Families Relief Fund, managed by the California Hospice Foundation (CHF), is a restricted fund created to ease the financial burden of hospice patients and families whose homes were in the path of the fires. Unanticipated expenses for the families include medical transportation to relocate patients living in evacuated or burned areas, special professional cleaning to remove fire residue from homes of patients with compromised respiratory systems, and lost wages for family caregivers who helped to evacuate or stayed at the bedside of their loved ones during the crisis.

“These families are in the midst of one of the most emotionally difficult periods possible – the impending loss of a mother, father, spouse or other family member. In the aftermath of the fire, they are urgently trying to restore a sense of normalcy for their loved one’s comfort. They were already facing special expenses but now face new financial pressure,” said Laura Miller, past chair of the California Hospice Foundation and president and CEO of The Elizabeth Hospice, which serves some of the hardest hit areas in North San Diego County,

Individuals may send tax deductible donations to:

California Hospice Families Relief Fund
c/o California Hospice Foundation
3841 North Freeway Blvd.
Suite 225
Sacramento, CA 95834

One hundred percent of the donations made to the relief fund will go to affected families. Administrative costs are being covered by CHF. A three-person panel will review applications for financial assistance and distribute funds appropriately.

For more information on the California Hospice Families Relief Fund, call 888-252-1010, or visit the California Hospice Foundation’s website, www.hospicefoundation.info. The California Hospice Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) charity.