Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 9
September 2005
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
In this issue:
- Message from David Abrams, President
- Focus on: Response to the Crisis of Hurricane Katrina
- A Call for Assistance from Jamey Boudreaux, ED, Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (LMHPCO)
- Please Share Your Perspective on Katrina: A Message from the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- What's New @ HFA
- FYI
- HFA's 2006 Teleconference
- Hospice and Nursing Homes
- Site Coordinator's Corner
Message from David Abrams, President
Watching Hurricane Katrina roll through the Mississippi Delta, many of us were reminded that in these battles between human and nature, man only wins when nature wants it that way. But humans do take actions that become statements about the course they wish to take, and those statements become testaments to how we shall look at ourselves.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we have turned our attention to children, their families, the infirm, those in hospitals and pets. This is natural and necessary.
But there is a group of people who are being ignored. In this tragedy society put those who are "dying anyway" on the back burner, forgetting for the moment that, like children, they are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. Their families need to know for sure that a mother, sister, father or husband is being cared for in some way, or at the very least that they have died. For them, silence can be excruciatingly deafening. But they had no way to get in touch. Despite HFA's numerous requests that the federal government post hospice patient-specific listings on their most heavily-trafficked website, we have been ignored. This is not to say that the reasons given were valid or invalid. It's just to say there were reasons, and it happened. And maybe we can count on it happening the next time mass tragedy strikes.
There are only a few organizations that work nationally in end-of-life care. Institutions such as bureaucracies and the media may not care what happens to the dying, but it is our responsibility to make sure they care. It’s why we're public charities. And maybe after a while it will stop happening this way.
Focus on: Response to the Crisis of Hurricane Katrina
While all of us shared concerns about responding to the crisis of Hurricane Katrina, many also shared frustration on how to do so rapidly and in a way that offered true help and support. We have been pleased to see how communication has begun, and offers of support have begun to develop into further assistance and clarification of what is needed.
While no hurricane has wreaked the havoc of Katrina, we turned to those who have lived through other hurricanes to offer some perspective, and perhaps some hope. Dale Knee, CEO of Covenant Hospice, which serves northwest Florida and southern Alabama, and Jan Jones, CEO of Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tennessee, talked with Amy Tucci, Vice President of Programs for HFA, about hospice disaster preparedness, Hurricane Katrina and efforts to assist Katrina's victims. These discussions offer valuable insight from hospice professionals.
Jan Jones was CEO of Catholic Hospice in Miami when Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane, struck the area in August 1992. Dale Knee has led Covenant Hospice through Hurricane Ivan, a Category 3 hurricane in September 2004, and numerous other tropical storms and hurricanes. Both CEOs shared their perspectives on lessons learned.
A few days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, HFA began to make offers of assistance, not knowing exactly what was yet even needed. We posted a message to Gulf Coast hospices on our website offering support and help, and we sent a special e-newsletter edition to teleconference site coordinators in the Gulf States, hoping to utilize both of these networks for distribution.
Soon after these messages were posted, HFA was contacted by Jamey Boudreaux, Executive Director of the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Mr. Boudreaux was in Houston, trying to communicate with his hospices while finding a way to return to the area. From HFA's experience with Hurricane Andrew, we knew that communications are critical. HFA was able to deliver a satellite phone to Mr. Boudreaux in Houston within a day, and he has since returned to Louisiana to begin his recovery efforts.
The issue of communication also was the
impetus behind the establishment of HFA's Hospice Patient Locater, an
Internet-based bulletin board to help reconnect families to hospice
patients in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. This resource is
the only locater specifically focused on hospice patients. "Since the
flooding began in the Gulf region, we have received numerous calls from
families and friends of hospice patients who cannot locate their loved
ones," said Jack Gordon, HFA chairman. "They are obviously distressed."
Family members have been contacting us and posting messages on the site,
accessible directly at
http://hospicefoundation.org/forums/
[Note: Mr. Gordon served as Chairman and CEO of HFA until his death in
2005.]
HFA strongly encourages hospice facilities, healthcare venues that may be hosting these patients, and other hospice organizations with knowledge of transfer arrangements to post any information they have on hospice patients that were evacuated, so that their families may have information about their loved ones at this critical time.
A Call for Assistance from Jamey Boudreaux, ED, Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (LMHPCO)
Through the cooperation and generosity of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National Hospice Foundation (NHF), the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HNPA) and Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), LMHPCO has established a Hurricane Katrina Disaster Assistance Fund to help hospice patients and staff members with financial needs resulting from Hurricane Katrina. Our purpose is to assist as many hospice patients and staff members as possible with their immediate needs, such as food, clothing, temporary housing, transportation, and counseling. The request form should be completed and sent back to LMHPCO either by mail, internet or fax.
Please distribute this form accordingly and know that all requests for assistance will be considered and all funds dispersed ASAP, as donations allow.
Donations to the LA/MS Relief Fund
should be made payable to:
LMHPCO Disaster Assistance
3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 201
Birmingham, AL 35243
LMHPCO takes much comfort knowing that the hearts and prayers of hospices from across the entire country are with us as we work to relieve the suffering of the hospice community of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as Alabama, directly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The National Hospice Foundation has organized the Disaster Relief Fund, accepting donations for relief efforts throughout the affected area of the country.
Hospice Foundation of America has set up an emergency message board to assist families of Gulf state hospice patients to locate their loved ones. If you would like a message added to this board, please email HFA or call 800-854-3402.
The National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization is organizing relief efforts and support from hospices around the country, interested in helping hospice programs directly affected by Katrina.
Please Share Your Perspective on Katrina: A Message from the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
To members of the hospice community all across America: In Louisiana and Mississippi, Hurricane Katrina has affected our lives and work in many ways. We plan to make the October issue of The Journal of the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization a remembrance of our challenges as well as our hopes in the days following the storm. But, we know Katrina has affected you, too.
Please participate in this special issue of The Journal by sharing your perspective on the storm:
- how it has changed your life and work;
- how it will change the end-of-life care community nationwide; and
- how it might change our mission in the storm-ravaged region.
Submissions of any length will be accepted; the deadline is Monday, September 19. We have suggested to our Louisiana and Mississippi colleagues that they keep their submissions brief, because we know their time is very limited right now. But, we are hopeful that you will have a little more time to reflect on the current situation and will share your perspective with us.
Each contributor is asked to include a
digital photo of himself or herself as well as a brief bio, including
your agency name, location and your job title. Also, send storm-related
photos of your work or your agency.
E-mail submissions are preferred. Please send your submissions by
September 19 to:
Tom Harmeyer
368 Deer Trace #466
Pineville LA 71360
(318) 767 1662
tom@harmeyercreativesolutions.com or
TEHarmeyer@aol.com
Tom will acknowledge receipt of your
submission and contact you for any additional information. We will
gladly send you a copy of this special issue of The Journal. You
can expect publication no later than October 15.
Thank you for participating.
What's New @ HFA
HFA's website
www.hospicefoundation.org
and two past
teleconference programs have been selected as
finalists in the Freddie Awards, an international
health & medical media competition. The three
categories entered in the competition are:
www.hospicefoundation.org in the category of
"Websites";
Living with Grief: Coping With Public
Tragedy (1 hr video) in the category of "Coping";
Living with Grief: Alzheimer’s Disease (1 hr video) in
the category of "Alzheimer’s and Dementia."
According
to the Freddie Awards website, "Being ranked as a
finalist means that your entry has been recognized as
one of the finest of health and medical productions."
For more information on our acclaimed website and
publications, visit http://www.hospicefoundation.org
or call 1-800-854-3402.
HFA now offers hospice information in Spanish. Discounts are available to order in bulk. To order the "Choosing Hospice" brochure in Spanish, click here.
HFA's 2005 book, "Living With Grief: Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life" received a favorable review in the July issue of "CHOICE," which features current reviews for academic libraries. CHOICE is a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a Division of the American Library Association. For the first time HFA has sold its original run and is in its second printing. The book may be purchased from directly from HFA or through Growthhouse.
The May/June 2005 issue of the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Volume 22, Number 3) contains an article on the "Florida Clergy End-of-Life Education Project: A Description and Evaluation." The project, which was designed and implemented by HFA, was the first state-funded effort in the nation to educate clergy in end-of-life issues. The article is co-written by the partners of the project. A limited number of reprints are available; send name, organization and mailing address to info@hospicefoundation.org. Only email requests can be fulfilled.
FYI
September has been designated Pain Awareness Month. Activities at both the national and state levels will spotlight efforts to broaden public awareness of pain. An online resource guide is available at the website of the American Pain Society.
The September, 2005 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch newsletter leads off with an excellent description of hospice care. Citing the 2003 Hastings Center paper Access to Hospice Care: Expanding Boundaries, Overcoming Barriers, the article discusses the history, philosophy and financial aspects of hospice. A sidebar by Celeste Robb-Nicholson, MD, Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Women's Watch, offers an important medical view of why it is important to start the hospice conversation at appropriately early times. Selected national resources are provided.
A "Become an EPEC Trainer" Conference will be held October 14-16 in Charleston, South Carolina. This two and one-half day conference will provide the basic tools needed to become an EPEC (Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care) Trainer. Master facilitators and national experts in palliative care will present four plenary and 12 interactive small-group sessions. To register, call the Medical University of South Carolina at (843) 876-1925, or send an email to browndl@musc.edu. This program is co-sponsored by the Medical University of South Carolina and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
HFA's 2006 Teleconference
Our 2006 teleconference, "Pain at the End of Life:
Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice" will
be broadcast on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 from
1:30pm--4:00pm EDT. The program will examine the gap
between knowledge and application of effective pain
control in the person with a terminal condition.
Non-hospice clinicians will see first hand how pain is
assessed and controlled in the terminally ill person.
The program will highlight current knowledge and
methodology in an attempt to bring the hospice
approach to pain management to a broad clinical
audience. It will look at necessary changes in laws
and regulations that hinder the practice of pain
management. It will discuss ways in which healthcare
workers and the general public can work together to
improve the societal approach to pain management.
These subjects and other interesting issues will be
brought to the audience by some of the leading
researchers and practitioners currently working in
pain management. Panelists for the 2006 program will
include:
- Yvette Colón, MSW, ACSW, BCD, American Pain Foundation
- Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, Mdiv, College of New Rochelle
- W. A. Drew Edmondson, Attorney General of Oklahoma
- Kathleen M. Foley, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Kelli Gershon, RN, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- William M. Lamers, Jr., MD, Hospice Foundation of America
- William Johnson, MD, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care
- Douglas J. Weschules, PharmD, BCPS, excelleRx, Inc.
Hospice and Nursing Homes
An article in the July 13, 2005 issue of Journal of
the American Medical Association (JAMA.
2005;294:211-217) reports that a simple communication
intervention can increase rates of hospice referrals
in nursing homes and family ratings of end-of-life
care and may also decrease utilization of acute care
resources. Hospice care may improve the quality of
end-of-life care for nursing home residents, but
hospice is underutilized by this population, at least
in part because physicians are not aware of the
preferences of their patients.
(from Growth House, Inc.,
http://www.growthhouse.org)
A project internet site has been created, "Nursing Home End-of-Life Care: The Nursing Home/Hospice Partnership," to synthesize existing research, guidelines and resources relevant to nursing home end-of-life care, particularly in relation to hospice care.
Site Coordinator's Corner
Registration for organizations hosting the teleconference will begin in late September; more information and an online registration form will be available at that time. Please watch the Site Coordinator's Corner of this e-newsletter for updates.
If you work with other organizations at the local or national level that would be interested in this year’s topic, please pass along information about the teleconference to them. If you belong to any professional associations whose members would benefit from knowing about the program, please contact us at telecon@hospicefoundation.org and we would be happy to share information with them.
This newsletter is sent to more than 6,600 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. To subscribe, go to HFA's E-Newsletter sign-up page. See 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
Board of Directors: Thomas E. Bryant, MD, JD; Myra MacPherson; Priscilla Perry;
Patricia Spulak; Thomas Spulak
© Hospice Foundation of America 2005
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