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Welcome to Connections. The current edition of Connections and archives of previous editions are located at www.caringinfo.org under the 'community' tab. Please forward this e-newsletter to your staff, coalition members and other organizational partners using the 'forward a friend' prompt at the bottom.
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New Public Service Announcement Ready to Launch... "It Must Be Love" is the theme of a new public service announcement created to help raise awareness and promote public interest in hospice. NHPCO and the National Hospice Foundation provided support to filmmaker Mark Meyers and Caring Connections is the recommended source for hospice information. National distribution is now beginning and we need your organization to take this PSA out to your community.
Here is a few ways you can use this PSA:
Download to your computer in PC or MAC compatible format to use in presentations and outreach sessions.
Ask local TV and cable stations to download the broadcast quality digital file to air on their stations. A document with information about this process is on the Web site listed below.
Purchase broadcast quality tapes with either the national tag or customized with your organization's logo and slogan at the end to distribute to TV and cable stations. Tapes will be available for purchase through NHPCO's Marketplace later in September.
Encourage local movie theaters to play the PSA before previews.
All the information about these options and more can be found on the special PSA Web site at www.itmustbelove.org. Help take this important, engaging and visual message about hospice out to your community!
PBS Premieres The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's... This primetime Emmy award-winning documentary takes a dramatic, compassionate and all-encompassing look at the growing epidemic of Alzheimer's disease. Based on a book by David Shenk, The Forgetting originally premiered on PBS in January 2004 and was rebroadcast in August 2008 with The Future of Alzheimer's—a half-hour panel discussion hosted by David Hyde Pierce. Check your local listings for airing times in your area. You can also view the two-hour program online at the PBS Web site. For more information about the program, watch the program online or learn about resources about Alzheimer's, visit www.pbs.org/theforgetting.
POLST Now the Law in California... California has enacted the Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) law providing seriously ill patients with a new tool to communicate precise instructions for their end-of-life healthcare. The new law ensures that when a patient has a completed a POLST form that it must be honored by all healthcare providers. The POLST form (also referred to as POST, MOLST, MOST and other names depending on the state) addresses a range of treatment options and enables a patient to clearly express their treatment preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments such as resuscitation, nutrition and pain management. In November 2007, NHPCO and the National POLST Paradigm Initiative Task Force hosted a free seminar for anyone to attend to learn more about implementing POLST in their state. To learn more about the POLST, go to http://www.polst.org/.
My Cancer Blog on National Public Radio Site... Leroy Sievers, a nationally-recognized commentator and blogger garnered national attention with his "My Cancer" blog http://www.npr.org/blogs/mycancer/index.html on NPR.org. Sievers died on August 15 after candidly sharing his personal battle with cancer. Before his death he wrote about his decision to enter hospice. There was tremendous audience response from hospice survivors about the range of help hospice provided to their families. NHPCO send condolences to Leroy's family, friends and those who came to know him through his work.
Caring Connections and NHPCO in NY Times...New York Times reporter, Jane Gross, compiled a list of helpful resources on Caring for the Elderly which is located on the New York Times Web site. Caring Connections and NHPCO's sites have both been included as valuable sources of information on care at the end of life.
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It's About How You LIVE – In Faith Outreach Guide available! Caring Connections is pleased to announce the publication of the new faith community outreach guide, designed to provide your hospice and/or coalition with:
· Key strategies for building partnerships with faith communities
· Successful model programs developed by hospices and coalitions
· Practical resources to help you develop your own faith community initiatives
New Web site Raises Awareness around End-of-life Issues... Judy Bachrach, longtime journalist for Vanity Fair magazine who also works as a hospice volunteer, has started a new Web site for people living with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones. The Web site, The Checkout Line, features a blog, discussion forums and opportunities to ask questions through a tri-weekly advice column. The Checkout Line also provides links to helpful organizations, including the Caring Connections Web site. Ms. Bachrach has already written an article on the potential rate cuts and has encouraged her readers to contact their representatives via the NHPCO Legislative Action Center. See what this new site has to offer by visiting www.thecheckoutline.org.
New Palliative Care Flyers: Your Feedback Matters! In collaboration with the Hospice of the Bluegrass, Caring Connections recently produced two new palliative care flyers for healthcare professionals and the general public: Information and Resources for Healthcare Professionals and How Can Palliative Care Help Me? These flyers are fully customizable so that you can add your own organization's logo, contact information, and local community palliative care providers. We need your feedback on these flyers! Let us know what content you think is helpful and any other suggestions you have by filling out the Feedback Survey Form. We hope you find these resources useful and thank you for your input!
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NHPCO's 9th Clinical Team Conference (CTC)... NHPCO's 2008 CTC is being headlined by Elizabeth Edwards, a vocal advocate and tireless worker on behalf of important social causes such as increasing quality healthcare in America. The CTC will include a scientific symposium, facility-based hospice forum and a pediatric intensive and will take place October 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion, in Dallas, TX. For more information or to register, visit NHPCO's website.
Calling All Experts – the 2009 MLC Call for Proposals is Almost Over...NHPCO is seeking innovative presentation proposals for the 2009 Management and Leadership Conference - Preserving Hospice Values in a Changing Landscape to be held April 23-25, 2009 in Washington, DC. Join leaders in hospice and palliative care on the faculty of the only management-oriented conference designed for end-of-life care leaders. The MLC is a great place to meet new people, learn from colleagues and promote your best practices. The deadline is September 5, 2008 - submit your proposal today!
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Last month... we recognized California Coalition for Compassionate Care for their advance care planning seminars in the workplace. We would like to extend our apologies and correct ourselves; the workplace program should be attributed to the Compassionate Care Alliance of the Greater Sacramento Region. Specifically, they provide employees advance directives, information about how to choose a healthcare agent and resources on how to communicate their wishes to their family. To date, the coalition has made presentations to 35 businesses and 1200 employees.
This month... we would like to acknowledge another coalition that is doing workplace outreach; the Seward Co. Bridges End-of-Life Coalition in Nebraska received a grant to do workplace outreach in their community. Their initiative will be using the It's About How You LIVE – At Work materials which include Caring Connections' Employer's Guide, Outreach Guide and brochures for supervisors and employees. For information and resources to do your own workplace outreach, visit www.caringinfo.org.
If you have community engagement resources or updates that you would like to include in "Connections," please contact Helen Ennis.
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