United Hospice Shares American Palliative Care Practices with Members of Friendship Force International Delegation from Chiapas, Mexico

NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- United Hospice of Atlanta announced today that they will be joining Friendship Force International in welcoming a hospice delegation from The Ministry of Health in Chiapas, Mexico, in order to share American practices for palliative care. Members of the Mexican delegation include palliative care doctors, nurses, and trainees from the College of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care. Chiapas is the southern-most state in Mexico, located near the Guatemalan border.  It is among the poorest areas in the country, with 80% of residents living below the poverty level. Almost half of all their population currently lacks access to basic health care services, and this visiting team is pioneering new health care treatments that can have a lasting positive effect on their indigenous area.

United Hospice and the American system of palliative medicine bring comforting care to those with serious illnesses. Pain management is, fortunately, within close reach here in the U.S.—and those in need of hospice care services are treated regardless of their ability to pay. In places like Chiapas, however, pain management and hospice care services are a luxury, due to lack of medications, social infrastructure and other resources. United Hospice professionals are excited to meet with the team of 20 men and women, and provide insight and recommendations that will hopefully change many lives for the better. Our countries have a common goal: to treat the sick and elderly with dignity and compassion, while minimizing their level of pain and discomfort.

The visitors will be in the Atlanta area from September 29^th through October 4^th, and will meet with Emory Palliative Care Center and another hospice provider in order to be introduced to a variety of program methods. On Monday, October 1^st, the group will visit the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. The Carter Center team also has a special connection to the people of Chiapas, as they have been working for several years now to eradicate river blindness from the area with much success. Jimmy Carter also has very close ties to Friendship Force International. After the global outreach program was founded by Wayne Smith in 1977, it was grown exponentially after President Carter introduced it at a White House gathering of state governors.

For more information on assisting the Chiapas Palliative Care Advancement initiative, or on the upcoming Friendship Force events, please contact Larry Daniel, Executive Director of Spiritual Care, UHS-Pruitt Corporation at [email protected].

About UHS-Pruitt Corporation
Since 1969, UHS-Pruitt Corporation has been providing management-related services for high quality health care providers throughout the Southeast. Known for its proactive performance improvement programs and holistic post-acute care services, UHS-Pruitt's "commitment to caring" defines not only its services, but the culture in which its skilled network of dedicated providers work. With more than 200 service locations in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the UHS-Pruitt Corporation family of providers touches the lives of more than 24,000 patients each day through skilled nursing centers, home health and hospice agencies, assisted and independent living communities, institutional pharmacy and medical supply services, and programs in rehabilitation, nutrition, adult day care, community care, and care management.  For more information please visit www.URReady.com.

SOURCE UHS-Pruitt Corporation