November 30, 2009

CONTACT: Kim Guenther
(215) 662-6183
kim.guenther@uphs.upenn.edu

PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL CONTACT: Lee-Ann Landis
(267) 236-2866
landisl@uphs.upenn.edu

Penn Hospice “Light Up a Life” Events Honor Loved Ones During Holiday Season

Tree Lighting Ceremonies Held This Week at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine Rittenhouse and Chestnut Hill Hospitals

PHILADELPHIA – During the busy holiday season, four Penn Medicine locations will pause to remember their friends, family and loved ones by lighting trees in their honor. Penn Wissahickon Hospice, a division of the Penn Home Care & Hospice Service and part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, holds the Light Up a Life ceremony annually to honor the people who have brightened and enriched the lives of others. Each light on the tree is dedicated in honor or memory of a patient, friend or loved one.

Donations to Light Up a Life will benefit the Penn Wissahickon Hospice Needy Patient Fund, which provides care, comfort and hospice support for the uninsured and underinsured. Penn Wissahickon Hospice patients receive exemplary care from a specialized team of physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains to manage pain symptoms and other physical, emotional and spiritual needs unique to patients in their final days.

This year, Light Up a Life events will be held on four days at four locations: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on December 1, Pennsylvania Hospital on December 3, Penn Medicine Rittenhouse on December 5 and Chestnut Hill Hospital on December 6. Details of the events are below. For more information on Penn Home Care & Hospice Services, please visit http://pennmedicine.org/homecare/.

###

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.

This release is available online at
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/11/hospice-light-up-a-life/