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A 1996 Gallup poll found that nine out of 10 Americans, when faced with a terminal illness, would prefer to die in their own home or the home of a loved one. -A primary goal of hospice is to help patients remain in their homes, surrounded by the people and things important to them. Ninety-eight percent of HospiceCare's services are provided in the patient's home. Family members or friends caring for the patient are coached by the HospiceCare team on what to expect as the illness progresses, and on how to help care for the patient. Care is comprehensive, addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient while supporting the patient's family. Hospice services are provided through a team of professionals: Physicians, RN case managers, social workers, grief counselors, LPNs, certified nursing assistants, chaplains and volunteers. Patients direct their plan of care with guidance from the HospiceCare team. HospiceCare nurses with expertise in pain and symptom management work closely with the patient's physician in meeting the patient's needs. Reimbursement for HospiceCare services comes from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as most HMOs and commercial insurance companies. Patients without insurance or with limited coverage receive full HospiceCare services, funded by generous community donations. An integral part of HospiceCare services is healthy survivorship following a death. Support is provided to family and friends through grief groups and counseling for all ages. HospiceCare also extends its grief services to the entire community, not only those whose loved one received HospiceCare services. Healthy grieving helps us all in our daily lives as we live, work and play together. HospiceCare's mission includes education initiatives to promote a healthier community. HospiceCare holds forums on issues relating to end-of-life. HospiceCare works to strengthen dialogue among health care professionals, faith community leaders and the general public by bringing nationally known speakers to Madison to discuss end-of-life issues in a forum setting; the difficult topic of death and dying thus is included as part of our community's dialogue. There is ample evidence that HospiceCare's efforts have succeeded in heightening awareness; for example, one area television station is including the topic, "How We Die" as a 1998 editorial focus. Over the last 10 years, HospiceCare has experienced an average 16 percent growth per year in numbers of patients served. This growth can be attributed to several factors. Increased community awareness regarding hospice services was acheived through the organization's initiatives to educate the public about end-of-life options. An equally important factor is HospiceCare's commitment to strong partnerships with physicians, hospitals and health care systems, nursing homes and residential facilities. Our partnerships with the community are crucially important to our ability to meet the complex physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our patients and families. HospiceCare works as part of the healing ministries of all faith communities to provide spiritual care and support to those experiencing a terminal illness. In 1997, in recognition of this partnership, HospiceCare was awarded grants totalling $50,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support its