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November 2004

 

CAPC eNews
NOVEMBER 2004


CAPC Resources
Whether you are developing a new palliative care program or strengthening an existing one, CAPC’s integrated educational resources provide information and tools needed to ensure the successful design and launch of a palliative care program in a hospital. They include: the CAPC Seminar, a comprehensive overview of palliative care program design; Palliative Care Leadership Centers, a two-day hands-on site visit and full year of mentoring at a leading palliative care program customized for your own hospital team to help move your program from the planning to launch stage; and the “Guide to Building a Hospital-Based Palliative Care Program,” a 186-page comprehensive "how-to" manual that outlines concrete steps for building palliative care programs in hospitals.

In this eNews:

    1. CAPC's "How-to" Manual Receives Rave Reviews - Purchase Your Copy Online
    2. CAPC New York Seminar Sold Out - Join Us in Miami, March 15-17, 2005
    3. News From the Palliative Care Leadership Center Initiative
    4. Palliative Care Buttons Now Available Online
    5. National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and Lance Armstrong Foundation Town Hall Meetings on Palliative Care Hosted by Palliative Care Leadership Centers
    6. Upcoming Clinical Education on Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Conference
    7. Information for Health Care and Law Enforcement Professionals on Prescription Pain Medication Release
    8. Palliative Care In The News
    9. Upcoming Education and Training
    10. CAPC Requests Information on Palliative Care Clinical Training
    11. Job Postings on CAPC's Website

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1. CAPC's "How-to" Manual Receives Rave Reviews - Purchase Your Copy Online

In a recent survey of professionals who have purchased "A Guide to Building a Hospital-based Palliative Care Program," 88% said they would recommend it as a resource for others interested in starting or strengthening a palliative care program.

This unique “how-to” manual draws from the experiences of a variety of thriving palliative care programs to provide:

    • Step-by-step planning and implementation instructions
    • Examples of tools and guidelines
    • Sample policies and procedures from successful programs
    • Details on the 7 stages necessary to launch and run a quality program

    Topics covered in this comprehensive manual include: developing the financial case; operating and implementing a program; management/administrative tools; structuring a program; clinical tools; obtaining institutional support; financial tools; and marketing a program.

This highly recommended publication is available at an introductory price of $100. Please visit the CAPC website to purchase the Guide online or to download an order form.

2. CAPC New York Seminar Sold Out - Join Us in Miami, March 15-17, 2005

Special Opportunity for Past CAPC Seminar Participants

If you have attended a CAPC Seminar in the past and refer a colleague who attends this Seminar, you will receive a 10% discount to visit a Palliative Care Leadership Center (PCLC) of your choice.

A PCLC site visit provides the opportunity for hands-on application of content to your specific setting. Just remember to tell your colleague to note your name on the registration form in order to be eligible for the discount.

More information on the PCLCs can be found on the CAPC website.

Due to growing interest in building palliative care programs, CAPC's October Seminar in New York City sold out. A spring Seminar will be held March 15-17, 2005 in Miami, FL.“Building Palliative Care Programs in Hospitals – Tools and Strategies for Success” is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the financial and operational content and processes needed to build a palliative care program.

Sessions include:

    • Making the financial case for palliative care
    • Creating compelling business plans
    • Developing effective marketing techniques and
    • Establishing partnerships within and across hospital systems

Physicians, nurses, administrators and others responsible for planning and implementing palliative care programs in hospitals and health systems – are encourage to attend.

Registration details coming in November - for further information please contact Barbara Mastroddi at barbara.mastroddi@mssm.edu or 212-201-2680, or visit the CAPC website.

3. News From the Palliative Care Leadership Center (PCLC) Initiative

More than 600 healthcare professionals interested in starting or strengthening a palliative care program have attended Palliative Care Leadership Center (PCLC) site visits. Since the initiative began in February 2004, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Ninety-five percent of past site visitors said they would recommend a PCLC site visit to others. Most site visit participants (96%) also said they received the content and resources necessary to plan, implement, and expand a palliative care program at their institution.

The PCLC Initiative offers two-day site visits and a full year of mentoring at six exemplary palliative care centers for hospital teams. During the site visit, PCLC faculty assist teams in developing their own business plan, conducting financial analyses, designing a program structure and developing an implementation plan for their palliative care service. This initiative is only available through spring 2006.

For the most updated information on the Palliative Care Leadership Center Initiative please visit the PCLC website.

4. Palliative Care Buttons Now Available Online

Wear the new CAPC button to raise awareness of palliative care and gain referrals. Pass them out at conferences, meetings and fundraisers then follow up with your brochure and card. Whether in the elevator, office or on the floor, you'll find the button generates attention and conversation.

To order buttons please visit the CAPC online store.

5. National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and Lance Armstrong Foundation Town Hall Meetings on Palliative Care Hosted by Palliative Care Leadership Centers

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), with funding from the Lance Armstrong Foundation, has selected outstanding palliative care programs to host community Town Halls to share information on the need for palliative care programs and to highlight exemplary programs.  This year, Massey Cancer Center of the Virginia Commonwealth University and Fairview University Medical Center were selected to host these meetings.

On September 28, 2004 Massey Cancer Center of the Virginia Commonwealth University hosted the first of the meetings. Approximately 100 people participated in the meeting whose speakers included Dr. Thomas Smith, Professor and Chair of Hematology/Oncology and Palliative Care, Massey Cancer Center; Ellen Stovall, President and CEO of NCCS; and Dr. Julia Rowland, Office of Cancer Survivorship, National Cancer Institute.

Fairview University Medical Center held the second meeting in the "Hard Diagnosis, Soft Landings: New approaches to treating life-threatening life-limiting illnesses through palliative care" series on October 21, 2004.

For more information on the Town Hall meetings please visit the NCCS website.

6. Upcoming Clinical Education on Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Conference

Nov 12-14, 2004
Become an EPEC Trainer
Orlando, Florida

The Education on Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Team invites physicians and other members of the health care community to attend a two and one-half day conference that will provide the basic tools needed to become an EPEC Trainer.

Master facilitators and national experts in palliative care will present four plenary and twelve interactive small-group sessions on: approaches to common symptoms, communication challenges and ethical issues in palliative care. The conference will emphasize teaching approaches as well as content.

Participants will receive EPEC Trainer certificates upon completion of the conference program. As an EPEC Trainer, you will make a commitment within your organization and community to teach practicing physicians and trainees the core competencies of palliative care for at least one year following this conference.

For more information contact the EPEC Project at 312-503-EPEC or conferences@epec.net. To register, visit the EPEC website.

7. Information for Health Care and Law Enforcement Professionals on Prescription Pain Medication Release

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Last Acts Partnership and Pain & Policy Studies Group have jointly issued information for health care and law enforcement professionals on prescription pain medications. According to the press release, "The new document, Prescription Pain Medications: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for Health Care Professionals, and Law Enforcement Personnel, is intended for primary care clinicians and law enforcement officers so that both groups can better understand the treatment of pain, and the law enforcement and regulatory efforts to prevent prescription pain medications from being diverted and becoming a source of harm or abuse."

The document is the outcome of two years of work and was written by a key group of leaders and reviewed by 12 legal and pain experts. It addresses "risk assessment, how opioid treatment works, patient behavior, abuse, addiction, rules and laws, and clear descriptions of how and why the DEA may prosecute a clinician" says the press release.

The document is online at the website of Beth Israel Medical Center's Department of Pain and Palliative Care website, and also on the DEA's home page. Links to the document, the media briefing, speaker biographies and press release are at the Pain & Policy Studies Group website.

8. Palliative Care In The News

Staff from Mt. Carmel Health System Co-Author Chapter in New Book on Palliative Care

Dr. Robert Taylor and Sharol Herr, both of Mt. Carmel Health System Palliative Care Leadership Center, have co-authored a chapter in a new book about palliative care. The book, Palliative Care in Neurology, was released in August 2004.

Palliative Care in Neurology brings together international experts to cover the many dimensions of palliative care as they relate to the care of patients with advanced neurological diseases. “Spirituality,” the chapter by Taylor and Herr, reviews the spiritual dimension of palliative care, offering guidance in providing support for the patient and family as they struggle with the meaning of suffering, personal growth, and spiritual transcendence in the face of physical illness and death.

Book Details:
Taylor, Robert M. and Herr, Sharol L. Chapter 39: Spirituality, Palliative Care in Neurology. Voltz, R; Bernat, J. L.; Domenico Borasio, G.; Maddocks, I.; Oliver, D.; Portenoy, R.; editors. Oxford University Press Inc., NY, NY 2004.

Recent Journal Articles and National Headlines

    • Andrews, J: Palliative Care. Keloland.com 2004, Aug 31.
    • Bailes, J: Palliative Care Units Appear Cost Effective: An Interview With Thomas Smith, MD. Oncology News International 2004, Aug.
    • Donovan, F and Weiss, D: Pain-Relief and Curative Treatments Appropriate for Terminal Patients. nwitimes.com 2004, Oct 4.
    • Erikson, J: Palliative Care Group Stresses Patient Comfort. Arizona Daily Star 2004, Sept. 7.
    • Hall, S: Togetherness Eases Suffering. Det News 2004, Aug 29.
    • Larson, S: Program Helps Ease the Pain. Intelligencer 2004, Sept 6.
    • Matzo, M: Palliative Care: Prognostication and the Chronically Ill. American Journal of Nursing 104:9.
    • Miller, J: Palliative Care Programs Specialize in Pain Management. Savvy Senior 2004, Aug 28.
    • Phillips, K: Nurses Say Palliative Care Shouldn't Be Overlooked for Children. NurseZone.com 2004, Aug 24.
    • Regions Hospital to Start Palliative Care Program. Minneapolis- St. Paul Business Journal 2004, Aug 13.
    • Rowe, A: Doctor Brings Care and Comfort to Dying Patients. Kansas City Star 2004, Aug 25.

9. Upcoming Education and Training

For more information on these events, visit the CAPC website.

Information on organizations that provide ongoing education and training is also available on the CAPC website.

Reminder!

March 15-17, 2005
CAPC Seminar
Building Palliative Care Programs in Hospitals:
Tools and Strategies for Success
 Fontainebleau Hilton Resort
Miami, FL

Nov 10-16, 2004
Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice
Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care
Boston, MA

Contact: pallcare@partners.org, or 617-724-9509
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Nov 12-14, 2004
Become an EPEC Trainer
Orlando, Florida

This two and one-half day conference will provide the basic tools needed to become an EPEC Trainer. Master facilitators and national experts in palliative care will present four plenary and twelve interactive small-group sessions: on approaches to common symptoms, communication challenges and ethical issues in palliative care. The conference will emphasize teaching approaches as well as content.

For more information contact the EPEC Project at 312-503-EPEC or conferences@epec.net. To register, visit the EPEC website.
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Nov 12- 14, 2004
Linking Hands, Linking Hearts: Caring for Seriously Ill Children and Their Grieving Families
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
Dearborn, MI

For more information visit NHPCO' s website.

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Nov 15-18, 2004
Millennium Hotel Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sponsored by:
North Memorial Continuing Education & North Memorial Hospice

For more information open the conference brochure and registration form.
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Nov 19- 23, 2004
(Exhibit Dates: November 19-22, 2004)
57th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America
Marriott Wardman Park and the Omni Shoreham Hotels
Washington, DC

For more information visit the website for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA).
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Dec 2- 3, 2004
EPEC Professional Development Workshop: Teaching & Leadership Skills

Using palliative care as a context, participants will:

    • Understand adult learning theory and how physicians learn.
    • Practice a variety of effective presentation and teaching models.
    • Learn to use visual aids to enhance teaching.
    • Improve leadership and group process skills.

For more information visit the EPEC website or email conferences@epec.net.
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10. CAPC Requests Information on Palliative Care Clinical Training

CAPC is compiling a list of programs offering clinical training in palliative care. If you offer such training, or know of a program, please email a brief description of the program to carol.sieger@mssm.edu.

11. Job Postings on CAPC's Website

The CAPC website is a resource for palliative care employers and job seekers. The postings are meant to assist health care professionals by filling and locating positions within the palliative care field. Visit the job opportunities page to look for career opportunities.

You can post a job opening by simply e-mailing a short description of the position to capc@mssm.edu. Be sure to include contact information and a website link, if possible.


The Center to Advance Palliative Care, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded initiative, provides hospitals and other healthcare settings with tools, technical assistance and site visits necessary to start or strengthen palliative care programs in hospitals. For more information visit the CAPC website.

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