Two Programs Recognized As 2026 AHA Circle of Life Award Honorees

The Circle of Life Award recognizes programs for their efforts in palliative and end-of-life care

WASHINGTON (July 8, 2026) - Two programs will be honored with the 2026 American Hospital Association Circle of Life Award for their efforts in palliative and end-of-life care. The winning programs are Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, N.Y., and the Geriatrics and Extended Care Hospice and Palliative Medicine Team, Orlando VA Health Care System, Orlando, Fla. Both winners will receive this prestigious recognition during the AHA's Leadership Summit in Denver from July 12-14.

The Circle of Life Award honors hospital and palliative care programs that are ensuring equitable access to care, implementing nontraditional models of care delivery and payment, fully integrating palliative care into a system of care or a community, making palliative care financially sustainable, developing meaningful measures and metrics to track progress, or partnering with payers, other providers, community groups and faith communities.

"This year's Circle of Life Award honorees remind us what compassionate care can mean for patients and families during some of life's most difficult moments," said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA. "Through innovative and deeply meaningful palliative and end-of-life care programs, they are bringing comfort, dignity and support to people with life-limiting illnesses - and making a lasting difference in the lives of their families and communities."

The 2026 honorees are:

Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, N.Y.

Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) introduced a limited palliative care program in response to a 2011 state mandate. Since then, the Palliative Medicine and Support Care Program at ECMC has grown to include a transition care unit at ECMC for individuals who don't have caregiver support at home, a medical-legal partnership offering free legal services for vulnerable patients and the Sloan Comfort Care Home to serve individuals who need a place to live while receiving hospice care. ECMC also supports patient caregivers through a partnership with the Erie County Department of Senior Services. A palliative care social worker screens caregivers and builds a plan of care specific to the caregiver's needs and provides connections to resources that can offer support. ECMC also makes a positive impact on quality of life through a peer support specialist who visits with an emotional support dog.

Geriatrics and Extended Care Hospice and Palliative Medicine Team, Orlando VA Health Care System, Orlando, Fla.

The Orlando VA Healthcare System's palliative and hospice program places the veteran at the center of care with access to onsite and community care, prioritizing their dignity and choices, and recognizing and treating the mental and spiritual health concerns related to military experience such as post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury. Orlando VA's Care Assessment Need (CAN) process uses uniform computer-generated data analysis to identify patients at the highest risk for 90-day readmission and those with the highest risk of death in one year. The VA also uses a risk analysis index (RAI) for patients undergoing assessment for procedures and surgery to assess mortality risk and frailty. This promotes informed consent based on values that can improve quality of life and avoid procedures that may cause more burden.

Sponsors

Supporting sponsors of the 2026 Circle of Life Award are the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Contributing sponsors are the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the Center to Advance Palliative Care, and the National Association of Social Workers.

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About the American Hospital Association (AHA)
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners - including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers - and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.