After marking the third decade of hospice regattas in 2011, the National Hospice Regatta Alliance (NHRA) is promoting no less than 25 events in 2012, taking place from Mt. Desert Island, Maine, to Santa Barbara, California.
Since its founding in 1982, the all-volunteer hospice regatta movement has raised more than $16 million to support hospice programs around the country that have helped relieve the suffering of tens of thousands of dying patients through the years.
Hospices do not turn away patients due to their ability to pay. But while private insurance, and Medicare and Medicaid may pay for some services, they often do not cover all expenses, making additional funding critical to their success.
“I have met some wonderful people through sailing,” says Tom Tomlinson, who is helping organize the NHRA regatta on Great Sacandaga Lake in New York and whose father, Tom Sr., benefitted from hospice services during his final days. “My father always said you meet the best people through sailing, and he was right.”
For more on NHRA, including information on this year’s NHRA National Championship Regatta, taking place April 20-22 in St. Petersburg, Florida, visit hospiceregattas.org.
