The Hospice Volunteer Association (HVA) was created in 2005 to organize hospice caregiving volunteers into a group with common goals and a united voice. No other organization in the U.S. or abroad solely represents and serves the needs of hospice volunteers and their managers.

Given that an estimated 500,000 people volunteer in the nation's 4,500 hospice organizations annually, providing more than ten million hours of service each year, the need for HVA is greater than ever. The response of the hospice community to the establishment of HVA has been nothing less than phenomenal. In 2008 our membership doubled, now approaching 1000 members in the US and abroad.

The benefits of being an HVA member are growing each day. Here are just a few examples:

• FREE subscription to Hospice Volunteer News – HV News is the best hospice volunteer publication in the world and it is free to all HVA members.
• FREE memberships for your volunteers – if you are a Volunteer Coordinator/Manager of a hospice and you join HVA (only $40 per year), all of your volunteers can then join for free.
• FREE access to volunteer referrals – HVA receives inquiries from individuals across the country who are interested in becoming a volunteer. HVA’s Volunteer Referral Network (VRN) will automatically refer new volunteers to your hospice if you are an HVA member.
• FREE access to the National Hospice Document Repository (NHDR) – this repository is the largest collection of hospice-related documents and news articles in the country. Your membership gives you full access to all of the capabilities of the NHDR.
• Access to exclusive HVA services – HVA continues to develop and add services that are intended to support and improve hospice volunteer programs. For example, our new and highly praised Patient Data Vault service, which is an exclusive HVA member benefit, permits hospices to transmit, store and retrieve sensitive patient information between volunteers and the hospice while still meeting HIPAA privacy constraints for protecting sensitive patient information.
• Significant discounts from the Caregiver’s Store - members will be able to receive discounts on HVA conferences as well as courses that will soon be available from the Hospice Volunteer Training Institute.

There are many other things that HVA is presently working on that will allow hospices to better serve their communities.

We encourage you to join HVA if you are not already a member. The more members, the more services HVA can provide that will benefit all hospices. If you are a volunteer, tell your volunteer coordinator about HVA.

Here's a sample of what the hospice community is saying about Hospice Volunteer News, the HVA quarterly e-magazine:

"Wow! Thank you for this wonderful publication! "
Kathrin, George Mark Children's House Volunteer Coordinator

"I read the first issue of the Hospice Volunteer News, and it is powerful. Fabulous!"
Dr. Smith, M.D.

"Thank you for sending HV News, I love it."
Tanie, Hospice of Laramie Volunteer Coordinator

"Read the first issue of the HV News …it is really inspiring and great to get the bigger connection of hospice throughout the country. "
Mindy, Zen Hospice Volunteer

"Wow! HV News is wonderful!! "
Barb, Hospice of West Alabama Volunteer

"Thanks so much for sending HV News, it's really fabulous."
Margaret, Zen Hospice Volunteer

"Fabulous publication! Love the stories and testimonials."
Theresa, George Mark Children's House Volunteer

To see a sample issue of the Hospice Volunteer News, click here.

Only through the support of members like you can we grow HVA and achieve these goals which will benefit all volunteers and those they serve!!