LIFEline February, 2002
(Living Initiatives For End-of-Life Care)
ELNEC Courses Planned
· Make plans now to attend “Achieving Quality End of Life Care,” based on the nationally recognized ELNEC (End-of-Life Nurses Education Consortium) curriculum, April 19-20, in Emporia. Co-sponsored by Newman Regional Health, the Kansas Board of Nursing, and the LIFE Project, nursing participants will receive up to 10 contact hours. Registration is $70 in advance, and seating is limited. Please contact Vicki Brooks for more information, (620) 343-6800, ext. 2521, or visit the LIFE Project website for a copy of the conference brochure, www.lifeproject.org.
· Hays Medical Center will be offering a shortened version of the ELNEC curriculum on Monday, March 11, 2002, from 8:00-4:00. This offering is designed for RN’s, LPN’s, home health aides, social workers, respiratory therapists, and other health care professionals. Cost is $60 for non-Hays Medical Center associates. Please contact Wanda Koerner, (785) 623-6200, wkoerner@haysmed.com, for more details.
AKH Member Meeting to be Held March 8
· Members of the Association of Kansas Hospices are invited to attend the next Members Meeting in Topeka on Friday, March 8, at 10:00 a.m. at Midland Hospice. Hospice providers continue to identify issues that need to be addressed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA). CMS spokesperson, Susan Jesse Pennington, will be on hand to answer questions for AKH members. Please contact June Miller at the LIFE Project office to register, (316) 263-6380.
New Tools Available to Caring Communities
· Special emphasis will be given in the upcoming year to actively engage the faith communities. A special “thank you” goes out to Steve Jeffers, Outreach Chaplain at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, for assembling resources for the Caring Communities to use and for leading an instructional conference call on Friday, February 1. Representatives from 18 of the Caring Communities dialed in to the call to learn about ways to involve local congregations and their leaders.
The Faith Engagement Tools are now posted on the LIFE Project website in PDF format. Go to the LIFEProject.org home page and click on “Faith Engagement Toolkit.”
· The Caring Communities are also promoting the upcoming PBS series on caregiving, “And Thou Shalt Honor.” Scheduled for Fall 2002, community outreach is being handled by the PR firm, Barksdale Ballard. The Action Guide for Community Organizers is now available online at http://pbscaregiving.org/outreach/guide.html. Register to receive future updates on the series and view plans for this broadcast at http://pbscaregiving.org.
· Last Acts is beginning a new program called Rallying Points to help community coalitions continue their efforts to improve care and caring near the end of life. Rallying Points will assist coalitions in four significant ways:
o First, through several regional resource centers and a national resource center on diversity, Rallying Points will provide workshops, materials and other learning opportunities.
o Second, Rallying Points has launched its own website: www.rallyingpoints.com. The website will provide you with resource materials, newsletters, a listserve, and information about other coalitions and their activities. The Caring Communities of Kansas are already set up on this site; community volunteers are encouraged to register their contact information for future updates and communiqués.
o Third, through its National Coordinating Center, Rallying Points will offer a Certificate Program to eligible coalitions who may then apply for funds to cover the costs of expert consultation about ways to strengthen the coalition, improve their effectiveness and sustain the best of their efforts over time.
o Fourth, Rallying Points will establish an annual awards program that will highlight and nationally publicize the activities of successful coalitions.
Bales Makes Presentation to Oklahoma EOL Coalition
· Donna Bales, President/CEO of the LIFE Project, made a presentation to the Oklahoma Alliance for Better Care of the Dying (OkABCD) on January 29 in Oklahoma City. Speaking to over 70 community palliative care leaders from across that state, Bales introduced strategies for coalition-building during the workshop.
Staff Changes at the LIFE Project
· It is with much regret that we say goodbye to Jan Brandom who has left the LIFE Project. Jan has accepted a position in the grantwriting department of Heartspring in Wichita, which serves children with disabilities. Jan’s contributions to the LIFE Project were numerous; we could never have come so far in our work without her enthusiasm and passion. We wish her continued success and happiness in her new job!
· Joining the LIFE Project this month is Lisa Sparks, a public relations intern from Wichita State University. Lisa will be assisting with weekly and monthly communications, updating the website, and layout and design of materials. Welcome, Lisa!
LIFE Project to Sponsor Third EPEC Training Session
· The LIFE Project will sponsor a two-day intensive EPEC (Education for Physicians on End-of-life Care) training, May 2-3, 2002, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. Doctor/nurse teams are encouraged to attend, and scholarships will be available again this year. If you are interested in attending, please contact June at the LIFE Project, (316) 263-6380.
LIFE Project to Sponsor Fall Meeting on “The Future of End-of-Life Care”
· The Kansas LIFE Project Foundation will host a two-day seminar on “The Future of End-of-Life Care in Kansas,” October 22-23, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas. This statewide event will bring together a diverse audience of professional healthcare providers, public policymakers, consumers and other stakeholders as they undertake finding solutions to the critical end-of-life issues facing Kansans.
Day 1 of the conference will include national keynote speakers who will address the future of end-of-life issues as they pertain to the LIFE Project’s three main objectives: professional education, public policy, and public engagement. Already confirmed to speak: Karen Orloff Kaplan, President & CEO of Partnership for Caring and National Program Director of Last Acts. As we look toward the future, Ms. Kaplan and other experts will provide a challenge and focus that will inform us as we continue our mission to improve end-of-life care.
Day 2 of the conference will feature half-day symposiums on issues of special interest to various LIFE Project Partners, including pain management and community engagement.
More details to come………..Mark your calendars now!
***Notes from the LIFE Project***
· The Project on Death in America (PDIA) is offering Social Work Leadership Development Awards. Aimed to promote innovative research and training projects that reflect a collaboration between schools of social work and practice sites that advance the ongoing development of social work practice, education, and training in the care of the dying, PDIA will grant up to six awards. Deadline is July 1, 2002. For complete application guidelines, see the PDIA website: www.soros.org/death/.
· The Resource Center for Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center has launched a new Live Webcast Series for family and friends caring for medically ill patients. The six FREE monthly seminars will provide practical information from experts in the field via the Internet or telephone access. They will include interactive sessions with a lecture and question/answer session. The next topic (March 12) is “Managing Pain and Other Symptoms at Home: What Caregivers Want to Know” (facilitated by Russell Portenoy, MD, Chairman of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center) and “Making Treatment Plans and Decisions: Caregivers’ Roles and Rights” (hosted by Karen Orloff Kaplan, MPH, SCD, President and CEO, Partnership for Caring, and National Program Director for Last Acts).
For more information visit www.stoppain.org. To register, please email Ann Goelitz at Agoelitz@bethisraelny.org or call (212) 844-1502.
· March is National Professional Social Work Month. We would like to thank the many social work professionals who have promoted the LIFE Project mission to help all Kansans live with dignity, comfort and peace at the end of life. Your contributions are felt in our Caring Communities, health care facilities and throughout our state!
UPCOMING EVENTS: For a complete listing of upcoming seminars, conferences and courses being offered on end-of-life or related issues, please visit our website at www.lifeproject.org/_news_calendar.htm.
L signifies event of LIFE Project Partner and/or LIFE Project.
February 26 The Department of Education at Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita presents “Improving Care at the End of Life: Pain Management,” from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, St. Francis Campus, Holt Conference Room – 2nd Floor. Presenters: Doris Kimbrell, RN, MSN, and Rebecca Applebaugh, RN, MSN. Call (800) 362-0070 ext. 5646 for more information.
March 8 The Association of Kansas Hospices Member Meeting, 10:00 a.m., Midland Hospice, Topeka, KS. AKH members will be able to discuss hospice Medicare issues with Susan Jesse Pennington from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA). Contact June at the LIFE Project to register: june@lifeproject.org.
March 11 Hays Medical Center will present “Achieving Quality Care at the End of Life,” based on the ELNEC curriculum, from 8:00-4:00. Contact hours will be available to nursing professionals, respiratory therapists, and social workers. Contact Wanda Koerner at (785) 623-6200, wkoerner@haysmed.com, for registration information.
March 11-13 A three-day workshop will be held in Chicago, IL, sponsored by the National Residency End of Life Education Project and EPERC (End of Life Physician Education Resource Center, www.eperc.mcw.edu). The workshop is intended for teaching faculty, residency program and medical student clerkship directors, palliative care experts and others interested in improving end of life physician education and will include a 1-day EPEC course and two days of plenary presentations. For meeting information contact Dr. David Weissman (dweissmn@mcw.edu) or Lisa Pelzek-Braun (lpelzek@mcw.edu), (414) 805-4605.
March 12 Live Webcast Series from the Resource Center for Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center, 1:00-2:00 pm (EST), “Making Treatment Plans and Decisions: Caregivers’ Roles and Rights,” hosted by Karen Orloff Kaplan, MPH, SCD, President and CEO, Partnership for Caring, and National Program Director for Last Acts. For more information visit www.stoppain.org. To register, please email Ann Goelitz at Agoelitz@bethisraelhy.org or call (212) 844-1502.
March 14 The Department of Education at Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita presents “Improving Care at the End of Life: Symptom Management and Active Dying” from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, at the St. Francis Campus, Holt Conference Room – 2nd Floor. Presenters: Gerald Brungardt, MD, Alice Thornton-Bell, RN, MPA, Doris Kimbrell, RN, MSN, and Rebecca Applebaugh, RN, MSN. Call (800) 362-0070 ext. 5646 for more information.
April 5-7 Become an EPEC Trainer, Eldorado Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico, sponsored by the EPEC (Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care) Project. Approaches to the full EPEC curriculum will be demonstrated and discussed. For a conference brochure, please call (877) 524-3732 or (312) 503-3732.
April 12 L Donna Bales, President/CEO of the LIFE Project, and Melanie Simpson, RN, BA, BSN, OCN, CHPN, will make presentations during “Helping Patients Live While They Are Dying,” at the American Red Cross, 707 N. Main – 2nd Floor Auditorium, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. The event is co-sponsored by Kansas Health Ethics. Cost is $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Please contact the American Red Cross at (316) 268-0842 for details.
April 19-20 L Newman Regional Health and the Kansas State Board of Nursing will jointly sponsor an ELNEC (End-of-Life Nurses Education Consortium) training course. Advance registration is $70 for the course (10 CE’s provided). Please contact Vicki Brooks for additional information: (620) 343-6800, ext. 2521.
April 24 The Department of Education at Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita presents “Improving Care at the End of Life: Cultural Considerations & Communications,” from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, Holt Conference Room – 2nd Floor. Presenters: Michelle Shaheen, LSCSW, Alice Thornton-Bell, RN, MPA, Doris Kimbrell, RN, MSN. Please call (800) 362-0070 ext. 5646 for more information.
April 24 Hospice Foundation of America presents the Ninth Annual Living With Grief Teleconference, moderated by Cokie Roberts. “Loss in Later Life” will be presented from 1:30-4:00 pm (EST) live via satellite. For a complete list of host sites visit www.hospicefoundation.org.
May 1-2 Governor’s Conference on Aging, Topeka, KS. LaDonna Gatlin will be the keynote speaker.
May 2-3 L EPEC (Education for Physicians in End-of-life Care) training, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Doctor/nurse teams are encouraged to attend; scholarships are available. Scheduled presenters include Sarah Taylor, MD, Ann Allegre, MD, Robert Potter, MD, Gary Doolittle, MD, Robert Haskins, MD, Robert Twillman, PhD, and Marge Barnett, RNOCN. Information will be forthcoming.
June 13-15 The 13th Annual Meeting of the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives will be held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. This assembly, “Moving to the Future, Learning From Our Heritage,” will focus specifically on the organizational, management, ethical, cultural, educational and policy challenges surrounding the treatment of cancer pain. Call (608) 265-4013 for more information.
* If you have any announcements to add to our calendar, please forward them to Stacie Ogborn by the 10th of the month: LIFE Project, 1901 University, Wichita, KS 67212, Fax # (316) 263-6542, or submit them by email to: stacie@lifeproject.org.