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California hospice care advocates have launched a new campaign to help bolster the public image of the often beleaguered sector, which has been rattled by recent allegations of waste and fraud. The CHAPCA Hospice Can Help campaign aims to raise public awareness about the need for hospice services and the importance of end-of-life care.
What the CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign Actually Offers
The California Hospice and Palliative Care Association produced Hospice Can Help, a public awareness campaign which seeks to educate caregivers, patients and families about what hospice is, how to access it, and the difference it can make in people’s lives. “Our goal is to give patients and caregivers clear, reliable information to make informed choices before a crisis, while giving hospice providers practical tools to educate their communities,” said Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the association, in a statement to McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse.
How the Campaign Is Reaching the Public
The campaign recently launched paid ads on social media and Google in California. It has also created PDFs, brochures and a video series to increase the public’s understanding of what hospice does.
The Misconceptions the CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign Targets
“The biggest benefit to providers is simple: People still do not understand hospice. Families often think hospice means giving up, that it is only for the final few days of life, or that they will lose control over their care,” Clark said. “Hospice Can Help gives providers clear, consistent information to correct those misunderstandings before a family is in crisis.”
The Resources Available Through the Campaign
The association has created online resources on its website with downloadable content such as English and Spanish brochures, patient- and family-focused fliers, provider education materials, and social media content. There’s also a five-part video series featuring Dr. Ira Byock, a leading palliative care physician, author and advocate for people with serious medical conditions, who has worked in hospice and palliative care since 1978 and served as president of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Additional Tools Within the CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign
The site includes a Find a Hospice and Palliative Care Provider tool that helps patients find licensed, experienced and qualified providers in their area. It also has a toolkit specifically designed for providers to download content such as brochures, fliers, videos and other information that they can share with their patients.
How Providers Can Use the Campaign Materials
Clark said operators are welcome to print the materials, share them electronically, include them in patient packets, use them at community events or give them to referral partners. “Providers can use the campaign with patients, families, caregivers, physicians, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other referral partners,” she said. “It helps staff explain what hospice is, when it may be appropriate, and how it supports both the patient and the caregiver.”
Why the CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign Arrives at a Critical Moment
The public awareness campaign comes at an opportune time as the hospice industry has faced increased scrutiny from state and federal regulators, and California has been at the epicenter of the nationwide crackdown on fraud in home health care and hospice.
CHAPCA’s Position on Fraud Enforcement
The association has voiced strong support for efforts to root out fraud in the state, including supporting both a temporary statewide and national moratorium on new hospices and home health agencies. Clark was among many hospice and healthcare stakeholders who testified at a congressional committee hearing in April about the harm caused by pervasive hospice and home health fraud in California and other states.
Reconciling Education and Enforcement Within This CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign
Clark said she does not see a contradiction between her support of efforts to root out bad actors and fraud while also highlighting the need and benefit of hospice care by legitimate providers. “Enforcement removes scammers, while education helps patients recognize legitimate care and protect themselves from exploitation,” she noted. “Enforcement and information efforts protect beneficiaries and preserve the integrity of the hospice benefit.”
The Campaign’s Origins and Future Plans
Clark said CHAPCA has been working on the campaign since November 2025 after getting feedback from patients and families saying they did not understand hospice or learned about it too late. She said the association will continue adding new content and tools to its site as part of the ongoing campaign.
What This CHAPCA Hospice Can Help Campaign Means Going Forward
With the campaign already live across paid social media and Google advertising, downloadable multilingual resources, and a five-part video series featuring a nationally recognized palliative care physician, CHAPCA appears to be positioning Hospice Can Help as a long-term educational infrastructure rather than a short-term public relations response. Given that the campaign launched amid California’s position at the center of the national hospice fraud crackdown, its dual framing, supporting enforcement while promoting legitimate care, may serve as a model for other state hospice associations navigating similar reputational pressure.
What to Watch Going Forward
As CHAPCA continues adding new content and tools to the Hospice Can Help site, industry observers will likely watch whether the campaign meaningfully shifts public understanding of hospice care amid continued regulatory scrutiny of the sector. Given Clark’s testimony before Congress earlier this year and the association’s active support for moratoriums on new hospice and home health agencies, this CHAPCA Hospice Can Help campaign may also serve as a template for how legitimate providers distinguish themselves from bad actors while regulators continue pursuing fraud enforcement across California and nationally.
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