Filling the Void: Hospital Palliative Care and Community Hospice: A Collaborative Approach to Providing Hospital Bereavement Support.

Bereavement services are often provided as components of hospice and palliative care plans, including emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support provided to individuals and families to assist with grief, loss, and adjustment after the death of a loved one. Patient- and family-centered care is a hallmark of palliative care. Moreover, bereavement counseling is offered as a hospice care benefit that is covered by Medicare and various private insurance plans. However, not all hospital-based palliative care programs offer bereavement support. Many bereaved persons whose loved one dies in the hospital while receiving palliative care services may not have access to a bereavement support program. This practice concept article describes an innovative bereavement program designed to offer support to individuals whose loved one died in the hospital while receiving palliative care. The bereavement team, including clinical professionals from the inpatient palliative care team and two community hospices, developed the University of Florida (UF) Health Bereavement Program. The interprofessional team includes social workers, volunteers, chaplains, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. The Bereavement Program incorporates grief support workshops, follow-up with participants, via postal mail at timed intervals, website access to grief resources, staff education, and an annual evening of remembrance program. Finally, interagency collaboration has extended the reach of bereavement services beyond UF Health into our community at large.