Hannah Eichner, Research Analyst
Hannah Eichner joined NASHP in March 2018 as a Research Analyst with the Child and Family Health Team. She is involved with several projects related to children with special health care needs, health homes, maternal health, and oral health. Prior to joining NASHP Hannah was a health policy intern at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank that works on policies that affect people with low and moderate incomes. She has also interned at the Health Resources and Services Administration, a federal agency that works to improve the health of vulnerable groups, where she analyzed how proposed federal Medicaid policies would affect HRSA’s work. Additionally, she has served as a Marketplace Navigator, helping consumers enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces. Hannah graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2017, where she majored in public policy with a health policy concentration and minored in biology.
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For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
