Connecticut working group, Yale Law researchers draft framework to rebuild pediatric palliative care ahead of March bill deadline

A Yale Law School researcher outlined a state-level framework to expand and reconfigure pediatric palliative and hospice care in Connecticut, and Sen. Anwar asked the working group to provide language that can be incorporated into a bill with a March 1 filing deadline.

"My name is Wendy Jiang," said Wendy Jiang, a member of the Yale Law School team working on a white paper. Jiang described a roughly 20‑page draft that identifies workforce shortages, confusion about terminology, stigma, payment barriers, licensing issues and gaps in neonatal and other pediatric services.

The recommendation from Sen. Anwar that the panel "give us the framework of what we're doing so that they can fill in the language into the bill" set the next step: the subgroup will present proposed language to the full coalition and to Anwar's office before March 1, while continuing work after the filing deadline to refine program details.

Why it matters: group members said Connecticut already ranks near the top nationally on general palliative-care measures but lacks consistent pediatric-specific programs and data. Without clearer definitions, participants warned, providers and regulators cannot reliably measure need, reimburse services or build a sustainable workforce.

Jiang…