Reflections by Marisette Hasan, C-TAC Vice President, Community Action & Policy
Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper, MSW, MScPH, LLD, a hospice care pioneer and advocate, quietly transitioned from this life to the next on July 5, she was 102. I was not privileged to know her personally, but when I consider that she was born and lived during segregation and the civil rights movement, I am inspired by her intentional and undaunted pursuit of equity for patients at the end-of-life and her support for health professionals who serve our most vulnerable patients every day.
Take a moment to join the CTAC team, to honor and reflect on Dr. Harper’s role as a social work clinician, national and international advocate, and leader for hospice and palliative care delivery.
Dr. Harper was one of the first Black women to earn a Master of Science degree in public health from Harvard University, among her other notable achievements. Her career trajectory encompassed pivotal roles at institutions like the City of Hope National Medical Center, where as Chief Social Worker, she honed her expertise in hospice care and social work. Dr. Harper authored two influential works, “Death: The Coping Mechanism of the Health Professional” (1994), and “Stage VII: Death, The Coping Mechanism of the Health Professional” (2016). Her books highlighted the complexities of death and dying and provided insights into coping mechanisms for healthcare professionals. She identified and labeled specific stages of coping with death that are important to understand, especially for professionals.
Dr. Harper’s advocacy impacted hospice care domestically, particularly in her pivotal role in integrating hospice care benefits into Medicare. To date, the Medicare Hospice Benefit has made dignified end-of-life care accessible to nearly 30 million Americans. She worked with NHPCO to ensure access to hospice care for historically marginalized populations, and she served as a founding member and chair of what was then known as the National Hospice Organization’s Task Force on Access to Hospice Care by Minority Groups, now known as the NHPCO Diversity Advisory Council.
Her vision on hospice care did not stop at the national level. While on a trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1996, she was moved by the lack of end-of-life services and pain control for patients. This became the impetus for her and colleagues to establish an organization called the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA) in 1999. Dr. Harper was the founding president and chair of the board of directors. Now called Global Partners in Care, the organization has raised millions of dollars to partner hospice and palliative care organizations in the US with those in Sub-Saharan Africa to foster knowledge exchange and resource mobilization. With nearly 100 hospices in 15 countries, it has helped alleviate the suffering of thousands of people dying in Africa and other regions.
A few weeks prior to her death, NHPCO announced a new award to recognize Dr. Harper’s legacy. The Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper Trailblazer Award. The award will honor NHPCO members who exemplify Dr. Harper’s spirit of innovation and compassion, her commitment to advancing DEIB within their organizations, and her passion for providing high-quality, culturally appropriate, and person-centered services.
Finally, I am moved by Dr. Harper’s willingness to say YES – to using her voice and expertise to make a difference in the lives of millions at home and abroad. Each of us, like Dr. Harper, are presented with opportunities, large and small, to make a difference in the lives of those living with serious illness, their caregivers, and the communities who support them. The question remains, will we step up, not only with our voices, but with our actions? I believe We CAN, and I believe We WILL!
