FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2020

(Washington)  – Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) continues its series of educational programs focused on COVID-19 with a live webinar on May 21 featuring an expert panel addressing the importance of advance care planning (ACP) in the COVID-19 era, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Panelists will focus on the lack of ACP in the U.S. population during a life-threatening pandemic and the associated implications for the healthcare system, providers, and families, and suggest ways healthcare, social service providers, and clergy can facilitate end-of-life planning before and during a crisis.

Registration for the program is required and may be accessed here.

Panelists include: J. Randall Curtis, MD, MPH, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle; Pastor Corey L. Kennard, MACM, Amplify Christian Church and Manager, Patient Experience, Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit; and Lauren Jodi Van Scoy, MD, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.

“We’re honored to have an impressive panel working on the front line of the pandemic discuss this timely topic. The need for end-of-life conversations has taken on greater significance during COVID-19, as family and healthcare provider decisions related to goals of care are often urgent,” said Amy Tucci, president of Hospice Foundation of America.

This program is made possible by the John and Wauna Harman Foundation, a family foundation whose mission it is to improve end-of-life care in the U.S. The John and Wauna Harman Foundation has funded extensive community-based work and research by HFA and Penn State’s Hershey Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Detailed information on the presenters, board approvals, and program information is available here. This program will be the eighth in a series of free programs offered by HFA in response to COVID-19 that have already been viewed by more than 10,000 health and social service professionals as well as clergy and funeral service professionals. Webinar topics include funerals, spirituality, and disenfranchised grief during COVID-19. Some programs offer complimentary continuing education. All are available on demand at https://hospicefoundation.org/Education/Free-COVID-19-Programs.

Increased Relevance of Advance Care Planning in the COVID-19 Era will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing and continuing education for a year after the live event at hospicefoundation.org.