A national organization is giving the state of Vermont a perfect score for the palliative care it provides to chronically ill hospital patients.
A recent report from the Center to Advance Palliative Care ranked Vermont first in the nation.
New Hampshire ranked third.
Megan Castonguay of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems says palliative care is offered at every acute-care hospital in the state.
Castonguay says patients’ families also benefit from palliative care.
The center’s Lisa Morgan says the report is based on data provided by the American Hospital Association.
Morgan says many people mistakenly believe that palliative care is only for those with a terminal illness.