About us

The VA Palliative Care Network (PCN): why, what, who.

Our primary mission is to create and foster a communication network for VA providers involved in hospice and palliative care. This VA Palliative Care Network consists of two major parts, a palliative care portal (this curriculum is a part of that portal) and an electronic bi-monthly newsletter which in turn is linked to this palliative care portal. The Palliative Care Network (PCN) is supported by the Offices of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) and Academic Affiliations (OAA). However, the content and opinions expressed in this newsletter and the palliative care web-board do not necessarily reflect official policy of these offices or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Responsibility for content and opinions rests with the individual author(s) of posted articles or documents.

Your participation is very important to us. Through your participation in the PCN, we seek to create a community of caring and committed VA employees, who will enable us to advance the field of hospice and palliative care within the VA system and, ultimately improve the quality of care we provide to dying veterans.

The bi-monthly newsletter is sent to more than 1000 subscribers (VA employees) to keep you abreast of advances in education and training in hospice and palliative care within the VHA. We encourage you to forward this e-newsletter to an interested colleague or friend. Any VA provider can subscribe to the PCN e-newsletter by sending an email to hospice@med.va.gov.

VJ Periyakoil, MD, Director, VA Nationwide Palliative Care Network.

Disclaimer of Endorsement: While this website and newsletter are sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs Offices of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) and Academic Affiliations (OAA) the views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of these offices or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized VA activities, the Department does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

Dr Periyakoil's time is funded in part by grants from NIH/NLM.