Make sure your program is counted before the year is over! Annual Registry data are archived on December 31. Over 500 programs have already participated. The National Palliative Care Registry^TM is the only repository for national data depicting the operational features of hospital palliative care programs.

Maintaining data on the Registry is an annual process. Data entered during the current calendar year will relate to the operation of your program in the previous calendar year. Your program's data are strictly confidential; all reporting is aggregate and anonymous. Registering your program is free.
Register now

The award, in recognition of individuals who have demonstrated innovation and ingenuity in their contributions to the advancement of the field of palliative care, was presented to James A. Block, MD, CAPC Advisor, by the American Cancer Society. Dr. Block has been a strong advocate for the development of palliative care in the United States for more than a decade. He has made significant contributions to promoting palliative care within private sector philanthropy in an effort to promote and secure innovative funding strategies.
Read the announcement

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) has awarded R. Sean Morrison, MD, Director of the National Palliative Care Research Center, with the Project on Death in America (PDIA) Palliative Medicine National Leadership Award. He will be recognized during the 2010 AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly. Dr. Morrison was selected for his leadership in advancing the field of palliative care through the education of the next generation of palliative care leaders. The award program promotes the visibility and prestige of physicians in both academic and clinical settings who are committed to mentoring future leaders and serving as role models for other health professionals.
View past winners

The 2009 Seminar, held in Atlanta, GA, was hugely successful with the highest number of attendees yet! Please join us next year at the next CAPC National Level I / II Seminar on October 21-23, 2010, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, AZ. Registration coming in 2010.
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As part of its continued efforts to improve New York State's health care system, the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) has awarded the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) a grant to help New York state hospitals develop, strengthen and grow strong palliative care programs. The project provides access to proven technical assistance from CAPC. The goal is to increase access to quality hospital palliative care across New York State.

All New York State hospitals, and hospices with established hospital palliative care program partnerships, are eligible to apply. Space is limited. Funding is currently available for:

• Palliative Care Leadership Centers^TM Training and Mentoring
• CAPC Audio Conferences
• CAPC Campus Online^TM e-Learning Courses
• CAPC National Level I / II Seminar (Registration Opens 2010)

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) have formed strategic alliances with CAPC. The collaborations have resulted in increased coordination of palliative care initiatives, resources and information.

The AHA leads, represents and serves hospitals, health systems and other related organizations that are accountable to the community and committed to health improvement. The IHI works to accelerate improvement by building the will for change, cultivating promising concepts for improving patient care, and helping health care systems put those ideas into action.

Follow CAPC Director, Diane E. Meier, MD, on Twitter as she reports throughout the year from her new 2009-2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellowship in Washington, DC. Find her at: www.twitter.com/dianeemeier. As one of four resident fellows, Dr. Meier will have the opportunity to participate in the policymaking process on the Federal level as a legislative assistant in Congress or professional staff member in executive agencies or policy organizations. Her post will be announced in early December.
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The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) recently released a new brochure, Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You're Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness. This 14-page publication seeks to increase awareness of palliative care's many benefits—including reducing pain and other distressing symptoms of illnesses and medical treatments—and dispels the myths surrounding palliative care. Additionally, the brochure addresses how palliative care is different from hospice care, how it works in tandem with medical care, how and when to request palliative care and where to get more information. For a free print copy of this publication or to order additional quantities email info@ninr.nih.gov or call (301) 496-0207.
Read the booklet

The Regence Foundation is currently accepting nominations for the new Sojourns Award, which recognizes exemplary palliative care leaders, both individuals and nonprofit organizations, in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. The nomination process is open to all within these states. The award includes a $50,000 grant, which is paid directly to recipients that are nonprofit organizations, or designated to an eligible nonprofit by individual recipients. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, December 4, 2009 at 5 p.m. Winners will be announced in April 2010.
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The George Washington University Institute for Spirituality & Health (GWish) announces that the guidelines for spiritual care in palliative care, entitled "Improving the Quality of Spiritual Care as a Dimension of Palliative Care: The Report of the Consensus Conference," have been published by the Journal of Palliative Medicine. This report is a summary of the results from a consensus-driven process in which experts in spiritual and palliative care developed recommendations and tools. A larger, more detailed version of this document will be published by Templeton Press in February 2010.
View the article and the guidelines

In the new report, NHPCO Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's (NHPCO) announces that more than 35 percent (35.4) of patients served by hospices in 2008 died or were discharged in seven days or less. This reflects a 4.6 percent increase from 2007, when 30.8 percent of patients had what is considered a short hospice experience.
Read the report

Released on November 4, the report is endorsed by major health groups and calls for urgent medical training and health system reform. Warning that patients shouldn't assume their doctor has enough knowledge to treat their pain, a national panel of experts called on medical schools to train doctors and nurses on the basics of pain care, reform the nation's reimbursement system, and address pain as a public health crisis. The group insists that without health reforms and better training to diagnose and treat pain properly, people with untreated pain may face a lifetime of pain as a chronic illness — which could lead to job loss, depression and in some cases, even suicide.
Read the report

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) recently launched www.PalliativeDoctors.org, a new consumer Web site that highlights palliative medicine and its role in helping patients with all types of serious illness. It also provides information on how to find hospice and palliative medicine specialists.

The Center to Advance Palliative Care's (CAPC) Web site for patients and families, www.getpalliativecare.org also provides a clear overview of palliative care and links to other palliative care resources. The site explains how palliative care differs from hospice care. It also offers referral guidelines for clinicians and a Palliative Care Provider Directory of Hospitals to help patients and families locate a hospital in their area that provides a palliative care program.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a powerful editorial by Greg A. Sachs, MD, regarding the growing number of adults with dementia who lack access to palliative care. Since patients often are unable to express themselves, he suggests that clinicians focus on nonverbal clues of pain, such as body posture or swollen, tender joints, which could help identify underlying conditions and treatment that could make the patient more comfortable. Sachs urges greater access to palliative care, with better management of pain and other symptoms. He also indicates the need for more research to support updating public policy in regard to improving the health of adults who cannot speak for themselves.
Read more

The Harvard Medical School Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice, an intensive learning experience for physicians and nurse educators, will begin accepting applications for the spring and fall sessions in December. The program is designed for individuals seeking to develop a leadership role. It begins with seven days at the Boston-area school, learning about the fundamentals of palliative care, communication, managing challenges in education, developing clinical and educational programs, and a pediatric track. Participants then spend six months working on an individual project, before returning for more experiential learning and training. Scholarship opportunities are available.
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CAPC Campus Online^TM introduces four new online CME/CE leadership and management courses. Whether you have an active program, or you're planning or starting a program, CAPC Campus Online^TM offers a variety of courses that will make a difference to your professional development. New courses include: Consultation Etiquette; Marketing for Palliative Care Programs; Education Techniques in Palliative Care; Organizational Change

Courses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Enroll now. $35 per course, per student.
Learn more and enroll

Palliative Care Leadership Centers^TM (PCLC) provide intensive, customized operational training and yearlong mentoring for palliative care programs at every stage of development and growth. Choose the training date and location that's right for you. PCLC is sponsored by the Center to Advance Palliative Care. Sessions fill quickly. Please register early.
Learn more and enroll

The Hospital Palliative Care Team and the Social Worker
Thursday, December 10, 2009
1:30-2:30 PM Eastern
Co-sponsored by Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network

Featured Speakers:
Amy Bauer, LISW, LISWS
Medical Senior Social Worker
Palliative Medicine Unit, Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Health Systems
Cleveland, OH

Bill Mejia, LCSW
Palliative Care Social Worker
Palliative Care Consult Service
Huntington Hospital
Pasadena, CA

The New York Times, November 14, 2009, My Near Death Panel Experience, by Earl Blumenauer

The Journal Record (subscription), November 5, 2009, Local hospitals embracing palliative care concept

The Hospitalist, November 2009, Mentored Implementation by Brendon Shank

American Cancer Society, October 13, 2009, James A. Block, M.D., to Receive Inaugural Pathfinder in Palliative Care Award

Fort-Myers News-Press, September 13, 2009, Health care debate brings end of life choices to the forefront, by Dan Warner