The HAP Foundation

The HAP Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization developed to support children and adults living with serious illness and their families. Our mission is to provide education, advocacy, workforce development, and research on hospice and palliative care. We focus on creating access to quality care by educating communities on serious illness, hospice, palliative care, and grief; advancing policies that assist patients and families during end of life; strengthening the public health workforce by investing in essential fields; and conducting impactful research on end-of-life care in underserved areas. We believe everyone should have access to relief from pain and emotional suffering through palliative and hospice care, which can provide dignity, comfort and specialized care in the days, weeks, even years before death; and grief support for families and communities following loss. 

In 2022, The HAP Foundation has strengthened its pediatric program by incorporating the Greater Illinois Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition (GIPPCC) and Missing Pieces program under its operations. In an effort to support more seriously ill children and families coping with the loss of a child, The HAP Foundation has expanded its reach by encompassing these vital collaborations within the pediatric care community.

The Greater Illinois Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition is an active coalition of hospices, hospital systems, families, individuals, and supporting organizations that collectively strive to increase access to quality pediatric palliative care programming and bereavement support throughout the state of Illinois. As part of the HAP Foundation, it aims to optimize the quality of life for every child living with a serious illness, their families, and the teams that care for them.