Connecticut public health officials are hearing from the public about proposed changes in hospice regulations, The Associated Press reports.
More than 100 supporters and opponents of the proposals crowded a hearing at the Department of Public Health Monday.
Twenty-eight of the state’s 29 hospices, which serve the needs of dying patients, support the proposed regulations affecting in-patient facilities. Supporters say the changes are long overdue and will ultimately allow more hospices to provide end-of-life care in a residential facility.
Connecticut Hospice, the state’s first program with an in-patient palliative care hospital in Branford, says the new rules would compromise care and could risk its financial viability.
Connecticut Hospice has enlisted the help of former first lady Natalie “Nikki” O’Neill, widow of Gov. William O’Neill.
