Chapter 11. D.C. General Hospital Hospice Program.
§ 4–1101. Definition.
For the purposes of this chapter, the term “terminal condition” means an incurable condition caused by injury, disease, or illness, which, regardless of the application of life-sustaining procedures, would, within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within 6 months or less.
§ 4–1102. D.C. General Hospital Hospice Program; established.
(a) There is established a hospice program to be administered by the D.C. General Hospital. The purpose of this program shall be to:
(1) Provide care and support for the patients who have a terminal condition;
(2) Educate consumers and providers regarding the benefits of hospice programs; and
(3) Encourage volunteerism to assist the terminally ill.
(b) The program shall be designed to enable the patient to live as fully as possible during the final period of his or her life.
(c) The program shall be administered by the Hospice Program Coordinator (“Coordinator”), who shall be appointed by the Executive Director of D.C. General Hospital (“Executive Director”), with the consent of the D.C. General Hospital Commission (“Hospital Commission”), within 120 days after March 16, 1989. The Coordinator position shall be full-time.
(d) The duties of the Coordinator shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Assisting and counseling the family of the patient before and after the death of the patient;
(2) Educating the D.C. General Hospital health-care staff and the community about the hospice concept and the program’s activities;
(3) Establishing a hospice volunteer program utilizing existing systems and community resources;
(4) Selecting, with the consent of the Executive Director and the Hospital Commission, a location to carry out the functions of the program; and
(5) Establishing an inpatient component of the program pursuant to § 44-1801 et seq. [repealed].
(e) There shall be a hospice care team that shall carry out the purposes of this chapter and provide for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the terminally ill patient.
(f) The program shall offer the following types of services:
(1) Inpatient management;
(2) Home care;
(3) Clinic treatment;
(4) Bereavement counseling; and
(5) Consultation with attending physicians.
§ 4–1103. Appropriations.
There is authorized to be appropriated funds necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
§ 4–1104. Rules.
Within 120 days of March 16, 1989, the D.C. General Hospital Commission shall, pursuant to § 44-1920 [repealed], issue proposed rules to implement the provisions of this chapter. The proposed rules shall be submitted to the Council for a 45-day period of review, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve or disapprove the proposed rules, in whole or in part, by resolution within this 45-day review period, the proposed rules shall be deemed approved.
§ 4–1105. Report.
The D.C. General Hospital Commission shall report, on an annual basis beginning December 31, 1989, to the Council of the District of Columbia regarding the development of the program and the number of patients served.
