On July 23, 2018 the United States House of Representatives passed HR 1676 approving grantsto improve educational programs, research and workforce development in palliative medicine. Many outside the health care community, and even some inside the health care community, have little to no understanding of the purpose of palliative care. According to the proposed legislation, there will be no more than a 1 percent growth in the is physician workforce in 20 years while the persons eligible for palliative care will grow by over 20 percent. The proposed grants are intended to assist in developing a source of educators and health care providers to address this lack of resources and knowledge. The legislation known as the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act creates grants in several areas and amends the Public Health Service Act.

Originally published in the Birmingham Medical News.