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

PHILADELPHIA – During the busy holiday season, three Penn Medicine locations will pause to remember the 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 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 three days at three locations: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on December 2, Pennsylvania Hospital on December 4, and Chestnut Hill Hospital on December 7. Details of the events are below. For more information on Penn Home Care & Hospice Services, please visit http://www.pennmedicine.org/homecare/.

WHEN & WHERE:	WHO:
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 5:00PM – 6:00PM Penn Presbyterian Medical Center 51 N. 39th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 5:00PM Opening remarks in Philadelphia Heart Institute Conference Room 5:30PM- 5:45PM Tree lighting ceremony in Myrin Circle	Michele Volpe, CEO of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Ana Pujols-McKee, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Penn Presbyterian, member of Penn Wissahickon Hospice Board of Trustees Joan Doyle, Executive Director of Penn Home Care & Hospice Services Music by Penn Inspirations
Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:00PM – 6:00PM Pennsylvania Hospital Elm Garden Courtyard 800 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 5:00PM Opening remarks 5:30PM Tree lighting ceremony	Kate Kinslow, CEO of Pennsylvania Hospital Joan Doyle, Executive Director of Penn Home Care & Hospice Services Music by Penn Glee Club
Sunday, December 7, 2008 4:00PM – 5:00PM Chestnut Hill Hospital Hospital Entrance 8835 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19118 4:00PM Opening remarks 4:30PM- 4:45PM Tree lighting ceremony	Brooks Turkel, CEO Of Chestnut Hill Hospital Joan Doyle, Executive Director of Penn Home Care & Hospice Services Music by harpist Gillian Grassi

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PENN Medicine is a $3.6 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn's School of Medicine is currently ranked #4 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report's survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to most recent data from the National Institutes of Health, received over $379 million in NIH research funds in the 2006 fiscal year. Supporting 1,700 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) includes its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation’s top ten “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition UPHS includes a primary-care provider network; a faculty practice plan; home care, hospice, and nursing home; three multispecialty satellite facilities; as well as the Penn Medicine Rittenhouse campus, which offers comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient services in multiple specialties.