U.S. Reps. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) last week launched the bipartisan Palliative Care Task Force in an effort to find cross-party solutions for expanding Americans’ access to palliative care services.
“It is critical that Mainers and their families have access to the services needed to improve their quality of life and reduce pain,” Rep. Poliquin said in a Sept. 14 statement.
“I am pleased to work with Democratic Rep. Rosen and the Task Force to bring stakeholders across all levels of care, as well as patient advocates, together to develop solutions to make certain individuals are receiving the best possible care while they are battling serious illnesses,” the congressman said.
Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on providing patients with relief from a serious illness to enhance their quality of life, as well as that of their families, according to the lawmakers’ statement.
“With two elderly parents myself — my mother who was a nurse and my father who was a public school teacher — I understand, firsthand, the importance of palliative care and how it can help manage and ease symptoms as well as reduce pain and stress from the individual’s initial diagnosis,” said Rep. Poliquin.
Rep. Rosen said she also “stepped back” from a career to care for her aging parents and in-laws when they began having serious health issues. “I understand just how important it is for working families to have access to palliative care,” she said.
Improving access to palliative care for millions of Americans “can help transform our health care institutions to care for patients and families dealing with serious illnesses,” added the congresswoman.
The Task Force is part of the Assisting Caregivers Today (ACT) Caucus in Congress.