Business Wire - November 30, 2001

At an award luncheon that was Web cast live (video and audio) from the Hilton Web site www.hiltonfoundation.org, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called for an expansion of hospice worldwide to address the growing problem of HIV/AIDS.

He made his comments while honoring Dame Cicely Saunders, 83-year-old United Kingdom physician, who accepted this year's $1 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize on behalf of St. Christopher's Hospice in London.

The Secretary General spoke on the eve of World AIDS Day and was joined at the ceremony by His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York, who delivered the invocation. Nearly 300 dignitaries, including leaders from the hospice movement throughout the United States, attended.

Dame Cicely Saunders established St. Christopher's Hospice in London as the world's first teaching hospice in 1967 and is credited with being the founder of the modern hospice movement that provides holistic care, encompassing the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of dying patients and their families.

More than 50,000 professionals have been trained at St. Christopher's, and many have been founders of hospice in their respective countries.

Since 1974, when the first U.S. hospice program began in New Haven, Conn., with encouragement from Dame Cicely, the number of hospices in the U.S. has grown to more than 3,100 with the total number worldwide reaching more than 7,000.

The Secretary General said, "New figures show that more than 40 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS, but this past year has seen a turning point in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We now have the roadmap, the tools and the knowledge to fight this epidemic. What we must sustain now is the political will."

He added, "And we must work for both prevention and care. The hospice movement, which we are honoring today, has an important role to play by providing personal and loving care where health systems are weak or non-existent."

In commenting on the Hilton Prize, Dame Cicely also noted the relationship between AIDS and hospice. She said, "This award recognizes how science and humanity need to go together, and that is what hospices are all about. As we face a pandemic of HIV and AIDS, particularly in Africa and other developing countries, the need for hospice care and the wider availability of morphine for pain control, and doctors and nurses trained in its use, has never been greater."

At present, there are only about 1,000 hospices in all the developing countries.

Steven Hilton, president of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, said, "What was started at St. Christopher's Hospice by Dame Cicely Saunders in the '60s has become a worldwide movement to provide compassionate care for the dying. Hospice home care, new methods to control pain, and treating the needs of the family along with the patient are just a few of the innovations created at St. Christopher's that are now the cornerstone of hospices throughout the world."

At $1 million, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is the world's largest humanitarian award. Inaugurated in 1996, the annual award is presented to a non-profit organization judged to have made exemplary and extraordinary contributions in alleviating human suffering.

Past Recipients were:

-- Casa Alianza (2000) -- African Medical and Research Foundation (1999) -- Medecins Sans Frontieres (1998) -- International Rescue Committee (1997) -- Operation Smile (1996)

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2001 Hilton Humanitarian Prize Luncheon Web Cast, Nov. 30, 2001

When: Beginning at 12:30 p.m. from the Empire Room, Waldorf Astoria, New York.

What: Live video and audio coverage of the awards luncheon.

Where: Hilton Foundation Web site: www.hiltonfoundation.org.

Schedule:

12:30 Welcomes to the Prize Winner and Special Guests. Invocation by His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York.

12:40 -

1:10 pm Showing of 10-minute Hilton Legacy Video and playing of music while the luncheon proceeds.

1:11 p.m. 13-minute video narrated by Liv Ullmann about Dame Cicely Saunders, hospice and St. Christopher's Hospice, London.

1:23 -

1:43 p.m. Music on the Internet.

1:45 - 1:50 p.m. Hilton Foundation President Steven Hilton presents Dame Cicely Saunders with $1 Million Prize and Tiffany sculpture.

1:51 - 2:01 p.m. Dame Cicely makes acceptance speech on behalf of St. Christopher's Hospice.

2:02 - 2:07 p.m. Donald H. Hubbs, Chairman and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, introduces UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

2:08 - 2:30 p.m. UN Secretary General's keynote address, and comments on St. Christopher's.

2:30 p.m. WEBCAST CONCLUDES

CONTACT: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Don Casey, 718/237-9173 New York
011130
BW011120

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