Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
April 2003
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
April 2003
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Message from David Abrams, President
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As many of you know, HFA will broadcast its Tenth Anniversary National Bereavement Teleconference on Wednesday, April 30. "Living With Grief: Coping With Public Tragedy" will be seen in over 2,000 communities. Over the last ten years, the teleconference has come to be recognized as the leading grief and bereavement training program in the country, having reached more than a half million professionals in communities across the US and Canada.
We encourage you to join us on April 30 to participate in what Jack Gordon, Chairman and CEO of HFA, describes as "the largest classroom in the world." If you can't join us for the broadcast, we hope you'll add the companion book to your library, which contains a wide range of information on this underresearched area of grief and bereavement. [Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in 2005.]
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Focus on: HFA's Tenth Annual National Bereavement Teleconference
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In the foreword of HFA's most recent publication, Living With Grief: Coping With Public Tragedy, Jack Gordon, discusses some of the factors that HFA uses to determine the topics for its teleconferences. "When we select a topic for each year's teleconference and accompanying book, a key consideration is how we can help hospices broaden their community outreach. I believe that hospice has many contributions to make to a community, primarily as the basic resource for bereavement counseling, but also as a major influence in increasing patient autonomy in the health system." He goes on to say, "This year's topic, Living with Grief: Coping with Public Tragedy, also is designed to give local hospices an opportunity to make known their capabilities in helping their communities when terrible events occur."
In addition to the teleconference, HFA has developed an
extensive set of resources as part of our ongoing initiative
on Coping With Public Tragedy, including:
--Selected chapters from our new book about the definition
of public tragedy, the history of hospices in
responding in times of crisis, and the critical role
of the media;
--An excellent Bereavement Assessment Tool developed by
the Colorado Hospice Organization. Assessment is an important
component of supportive response, and can
help to predict those individuals who will be most at risk
and determine appropriate supportive resources;
--An article by Paul Irion focusing on the spiritual challenges
of grief and growth;
--An extensive Resource List of organizations that
assist
those coping with public tragedy.
The media play a critical role in the definition and perception of public tragedy. A collaboration between the media and end-of-life groups in Pennsylvania provides an excellent example of a successful partnership. WHYY Wider Horizons, a service of the public broadcast station serving the greater Philadelphia region and the Caring Community coalition, will host an all-day forum on the long-term effects of public tragedy on communities. The forum will include the Hospice Foundation of America's teleconference, Living with Grief: Coping with Public Tragedy. The morning session will feature a keynote address by former Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker and an expert panel discussion addressing the effects of public tragedy on children and families. Attendees are welcome to attend in person at WHYY in Philadelphia or join a live webcast of the all-day forum. For more information and to register.
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Special Thanks
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Hospice Foundation of America extends its gratitude to Cokie Roberts for her ten years as Moderator of our National Bereavement Teleconference. Her expertise and compassion have made her an integral part of these programs, and we applaud her role in furthering the understanding of grief and loss.
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What's New @ HFA
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For the third year, Last Acts has generously supported the development of HFA's "Taking Action"-a document listing ten practical steps that professionals can take to improve the policies, programs and practices surrounding those coping with public tragedy. If you plan to attend the teleconference on April 30 you will receive a printed copy. You can also download this document in PDF format
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Locate a Teleconference Site
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If you are an individual interested in attending the HFA Tenth Annual Teleconference broadcast in April, you can locate a site in your area.
Please be sure to contact the local site coordinator listed for information about attending the teleconference at his or her location. Some sites have limited space and a reservation must be made with the local site coordinator. Individual attendees do not need to register with Hospice Foundation of America. If there is no site listed in your area, check back as new sites are added regularly.
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Site Coordinator's Corner
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REMEMBER: Book orders must be made, with payment, by April 11 in order to ensure delivery by the broadcast date. Please use the order form on page 28 of the Site Coordinators Manual. If you need to place your order after this date but want to receive books by the broadcast date you can do so by paying additional shipping charges; please email Kate at Program Assistant for more information.
Companion books will be available to site coordinators at the reduced price until May 30. If you are hosting a local discussion before or after the broadcast, please take a look at our suggested Discussion Questions for some ideas; they are posted on the Site Coordinator section of our web site. Downlink sites for the HFA teleconference are invited to join the WHYY Wider Horizons on-line web cast (described above) on the morning of the broadcast. A computer and LCD projector can link your audience with the forum. For more information and to register.
Please be sure that you have all of your materials before the teleconference broadcast. If you have misplaced any of your materials, they can be found on the password-protected teleconference Web site.
Due to the nature of the live broadcast, the HFA staff will not be available on April 30th. If you have questions or concerns about your registration, please call us at 800-854-3402 or send an email to telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
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F.Y.I.
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The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization celebrates National Hospice Volunteers Week, April 27-May 3. Read more about hospice volunteers.
You can also order a download a Practical Guide on Hospice Volunteer here (PDF).
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This newsletter is sent to more than 8,630 subscribers on the 2nd Wednesday of every month to keep you
informed of what is happening in the fields of hospice, grief and bereavement, and
caregiving, as well as what's new at HFA. We encourage you to forward this e-newsletter to an interested colleague or
friend.
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This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President http://www.hospicefoundation.org
© Hospice Foundation of America 2003
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