Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care

2025 Circle of Life Award Honorees Announced

Congratulations to 2025 Circle of Life Winners Bristol Hospice – Hawaii, Honolulu, and Gilchrist, Baltimore. AHA was pleased to recognize the two organizations at the AHA Leadership Summit in Nashville.

To learn more about Bristol Hospice – Hawaii and Gilchrist, watch the celebratory video or download the honoree booklet.

The 2026 Application Period Is Now Closed

The application period for the 2026 Circle of Life Award is now closed. If you would like to be notified when the 2027 application is available, please join our mailing list.

2026 Circle of Life Award Sponsors

Supporting sponsors of the 2026 award are the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association. Contributing sponsors are the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the Center to Advance Palliative Care, the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association/the Hospice & Palliative Credentialing Center/the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation, and the National Association of Social Workers.

About the Award

Readiness

How do you know if your organization is ready to apply for a Circle of Life Award?

An innovative palliative or end-of-life care provider that is measuring and evaluating the impact of its work on patients, family, and/or the community is ready to apply for a Circle of Life award.

Honorees typically are:

• emphasizing coordinated or integrated care delivery throughout all settings
• engaging underserved populations
• promoting palliative care in diverse populations
• using strategies for engaging communities
• creating partnerships with other health care organizations and practitioners, and initiatives within long-term care facilities.

Please contact circleoflife@aha.org with questions.

• Digital Toolkit
• Past Honorees
• Committee Members
• Sponsors