Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
July 2003
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 7
July 2003
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Message from David Abrams, President
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We know that about 30% of our e-newsletter subscribers are hospice professionals, and 25% are health care professionals other than hospice, who are interested in improving care at the end of life. This month we are featuring a report by the Hastings Center that we think is one of the most important we've seen, and we encourage our readers to acquire the report.
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Focus on: Increasing Access to Hospice Care
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A new report by the Hastings Center and the National Hospice Work Group examines the current state of end-of-life care in the US and explores recommendations for a new vision of hospice. The report examines the issue of access to hospice from the perspective of social justice, equity and fairness, and makes an ethical case for equitable access on the basis of the vulnerability of the terminally ill, the moral importance of meeting their needs and the values upon which high quality hospice care is constructed. The report also offers a vision of hospice care in the future that is more flexible in recognizing medical advances, but retains the traditional human values upon which hospice was founded. The Hastings Center is a non-partisan organization that explores fundamental ethical questions in health care, biotechnology and the environment. The National Hospice Work Group is a professional coalition of hospice executives committed to increasing access to the benefits of hospice care.
Jack Gordon, Chairman and CEO of HFA, has been involved with increasing access to hospice care for over 20 years. Read an interview with him about hospice legislation, increasing access for Medicaid patients, and how consumers can educate their legislators about the importance of hospice care. [Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in 2005.]
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What's New @ HFA
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The Florida Legislature has funded HFA for a second year to conduct a clergy end-of-life training program for the state in 2003-2004. During the 2002-03 program, HFA held 22 educational sessions for 613 clergy and ministerial professions in 28 of Florida's 67 counties. Evaluations of the program by clergy showed an 80% rise in knowledge in end-of-life issues among those who attended. A report on the program will be available on the HFA web site in August. The one-hour edited video of the 2003 National Bereavement Teleconference, "Coping With Public Tragedy", is available now. Order here.
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In the News
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Read a fascinating account of the special concerns that face Holocaust survivors who are now dealing with Alzheimer's disease.
Please Note: The 2004 HFA National Bereavement Teleconference will focus on the issues of grief and loss surrounding Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The date will be announced in this e-newsletter as soon as it is set. There will not be an August issue of the e-newsletter; the next HFA e-news will arrive on Wednesday, September 10. When the teleconference date is set, a separate e-newsletter will be sent out to all of our subscribers.
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F.Y.I.
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The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is asking Hospice and Palliative Care Professionals to submit presentation proposals for the 5th Clinical Team Conference, to be held in Las Vegas, NV, March 23-25, 2004. Proposals should be submitted via the form on NHPCO's Web site at http://www.nhpco.org; go to the "Conferences and Education" page and click on the "Call for Proposals" link. The deadline for submission is July 14, 2003. For additional information, please contact Bea McMurrer, BMcMurrer@nhpco.org .
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This newsletter is sent to more than 6,500 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.
Privacy Statement: In no case will we share e-mail addresses. Read the full text of HFA's Privacy Policy.
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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