Winston-Salem, N.C., July 16, 2020 – Novant Health's innovation in palliative and end-of-life care has been recognized by the American Hospital Association with a prestigious national award, one of just two health systems in the country to receive the honor The Circle of Life award honors programs that can serve as models for other health care organizations as they develop advance care planning programs.
Novant Health’s Choices and Champions’ model for advance care planning encourages patients to choose a health care champion, someone they trust to speak for them even when they are unable to speak for themselves. A key feature of Choices and Champions is its systemwide commitment to normalize advance care planning, beginning with the first patient encounter. The Novant Health team, including advance care planning team members, provide resources and education to help patients, families and community members have the needed conversations and get the right documents in place to stay in control of their care throughout the whole medical journey.
“Novant Health is proud to receive the Circle of Life Award,” said Adam Koontz, director of bioethics and Choices and Champions at Novant Health. “Choices and Champions helps patients identify what matters most to them, choose a health care champion and think about other medical choices they may face. Documenting these choices supports patients and families through some of life’s most challenging moments and ensures that our patients receive the remarkable, individualized care that they deserve. We hope our model can normalize conversations about advance care planning and support other health systems as they develop their own programs.”
The American Hospital Association also recognized Novant Health for adding palliative care to nine hospitals in addition to its two hospitals that already had such programs when Choices and Champions started. Novant Health also provides two hospice programs, three inpatient hospice units and a residential hospice facility. In addition, Novant Health partners with community organizations to provide home-based palliative care, and works with business resource groups structured around common identities such as age, race, religion and sexual orientation to support diversity and inclusion strategies within the area of palliative and end-of-life care.
Choices and Champions is a free service of Novant Health, and resources are available at NovantHealth.org/ChoicesandChampions.
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