January 2007 

Welcome to Connections.  The current edition of Connections and archives of previous editions are located in the ‘What’s New’ section of www.LIVEpartners.org.  Please forward this e-newsletter to your staff, coalition members and other organizational partners using the 'forward a friend' prompt at the bottom.

Purpose Prize™ Nominations Currently Being Accepted…Do you have a special volunteer or staff person who has made significant contributions to your community?  Nominate him or her for a 2007 Purpose Prize™ sponsored by Civic Ventures. Five awards of $100,000 and ten awards of $10,000 will be granted to nominees over the age of 60 who have made a significant impact on societal issues in the second half of their lives.  The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2007. For more information, visit the Civic Ventures Web site.

Hospice Chronicles: New Report Broadcast on National Public Radio…Over the course of eight months, two documentary producers followed hospice volunteers in Michigan through their training and first assignments in patients' homes. This report, Hospice Chronicles, has been broadcast over National Public Radio and illustrates the importance and contributions made by hospice volunteers. This first report can be heard on NPR’s Web site. (The entire hour-long program can be downloaded as an MP3 file from a link available at NPR’s site.)

Caring Connections Works with GRAND…GRAND, a national magazine for active grandparents and their loved ones, published an article in their November ‘06 issue about hospice and grief during the holidays plus featured Caring Connections’ "It's About How You LIVE" campaign. For a limited time, GRAND is offering all NHPCO members and supporters a free subscription. To order, go to www.grandmagazine.com/HOSPICE and follow the easy sign up directions. You will not be asked for any credit card information, you will not be billed, and contact information will not be shared with any other entity. GRAND extends this offer not only to NHPCO’s membership but constituents in their communities.

New Wallet Card Available from Caring Connections…Caring Connections now has a wallet sized card available for people to record information about their advance directives.  Specifically, the card provides space to list:

·         Your name and address

·         Contact information of your health care proxy or agent

·         Locations of your advance directive

·         Emergency contact information

The wallet card template is available for your hospice or coalition to co-brand and distribute to people in your community for an annual $50 licensing fee.  For more information, contact Natasha Brown at nbrown@nhpco.org or 800-658-8898.

Motivate People to Act!...Find out how your organization can mobilize concerned people to supportive action in Discovering the Activation Point™, a new publication by Communications Leadership Institute™ and Spitfire Strategies™. The guide offers valuable community engagement strategies and can be downloaded for free at www.activationpoint.org.   

FREE Spanish Language Resource on Health Issues…Alliance for Health Reform published a Spanish version of “Covering Health Issues: 2006” titled “La cobertura periodística de temas de salud 2006 – 2007.”  The guide provides anyone who speaks Spanish with basic and thorough information on Medicaid, Medicare, disparities, and many other topics.  Download the English version or the Spanish version at www.allhealth.org.    

Professional Training Program on Compassionate End-of-Care, March 16-23, 2007, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe, NM…Designed for physicians, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, clergy and other health care professionals, this practical training program offers fundamental and essential tools for working with dying people and their families.  For more information, go to www.upaya.org.  

NHPCO’s Management and Leadership Conference, April 19-21, 2007, Washington, DC…Advanced registration for NHPCO’s 22nd annual Management and Leadership Conference, “Quality: A Bridge to the Future” is now open.  Join top hospice and palliative care experts from around the country as they share their insights about the successful implementation of strategies to improve access. Register online at www.nhpco.org.       

NHPCO’s Special Topics Conference, July 30 - August 2, 2007, Albuquerque, NM…Early-bird registration for NHPCO’s “Caring for Mind, Body and Spirit: Psychosocial, Bereavement and Spiritual Needs at the End of Life” conference is now open. Interdisciplinary team members will gather to explore mind, body and spirit, seeking new ways to honor the dying and their caregivers.  Register online at www.nhpco.org.   

Home Instead, Inc. (www.homeinstead.com)…Caring Connections and Home Instead, Inc. have partnered to develop an educational resource on hospice, advance care planning and caregiving that will be distributed to Home Instead franchise owners and professional caregivers.  The educational booklet, comprised of Caring Connections’ information and content on end-of-life issues, will become the foundation for end-of-life education for Home Instead staff.  With over 650 franchises, Home Instead, Inc. provides comprehensive companionship and home care services for seniors.  

If you have community engagement resources that you would like to include in “Connections”, please contact Ashley Hammarth at ahammarth@nhpco.org.

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