July/August 2006

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.

The Caring Connections Team wishes everyone a relaxing Labor Day weekend!

NHPCO Opens Office at Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life
NHPCO proudly announces the opening of its first satellite office housed at the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life, based at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, NC. The creation of a satellite office housed at the Institute will enhance existing programs while increasing opportunities for future collaboration. Read NHPCO’s press release. 

Duke Institute Offers Materials on Care of African Americans
The Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life published an electronic book, Key Topics on End-of-Life Care for African Americans, which is posted on the Institute’s Web site. The manuscripts represent the most important subject areas covered in a landmark national conference called The Last Miles of the Way Home©, presented in Atlanta, Georgia in 2004. The Last Miles© conference was the first of its kind, giving voice to issues in end-of-life decision-making and caregiving unique to African American patients, families and communities. The topics covered in this book include the impact of health disparities on decision-making, spiritual aspects of care at life’s end, sociological and cultural perspectives on death and dying, and health policy considerations.

NEW Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Business
The National Alliance for Caregiving and The MetLife Mature Market Institute released data that estimates the productivity losses to U.S. business of employees who must make workplace accommodations as a result of caregiving responsibilities.  Findings estimate that the average caregiver costs an employer $2,110 per year.  For those caregivers providing the most intense levels of care, the cost per employee is $2,441, totaling $17.1 billion.  The total annual cost for all caregivers is $33.6 billion.  To download a copy of the report, go to www.caregiving.org. 

NPR Focuses on Pediatric Palliative Care
The popular PBS radio program, All Things Considered, broadcast a story on pediatric end-of-life care on August 9 which is available on the NPR Web site. Correspondent Melissa Block visited with the pediatric palliative care team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and explored the needs of young people coping with life-limiting illness. Hospices and coalitions interested in this story should remember to look over the materials available on the ChiPPS section of NHPCO’s Web site.  Also, check out www.partnershipforparents.org, online support for parents with seriously ill children, developed by the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition.

Bill Colby featured on C-Span Book TV                                                                                
Bill Colby, noted legal expert, author and NHPCO senior fellow, was featured on CSPAN's Book TV in July!  The Maine Hospice Council hosted this event at Colby College.  Bill's new book, Unplugged Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America, was highlighted on the show.  A DVD of Bill’s presentation is available at www.c-spanstore.org. Also, check out Bill Colby’s thoughts about his travels in the July issue of NewsLine.

New Resource Increases Access for Spanish-Speaking Consumers                                    
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NAHH) are pleased to announce the launch of the Spanish language end-of-life care HelpLine, Linea Cuidando con Cariño (877-658-8896), which was funded with support from the Public Welfare Foundation.  Working collaboratively with the Caring Connections team, staff from NAHH have been trained and are available to answer questions and provide information on a variety of end-of-life topics, and locate community hospice and palliative care providers for callers.  The coordinated effort of both NAHH and Caring Connections HelpLine staff will continue as Caring Connections enhances its services to reach Spanish-speaking people.

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day                                                                                   
Is your organization or coalition doing something on Saturday, October 7, to celebrate World Hospice and Palliative Care Day?  If you are hosting an event or conducting other outreach projects, register on the World Day Web site.  Registration only takes a moment and will help our global partners track efforts worldwide.  Remember, a range of resources is available at www.worldday.org and whether you host a event, submit a letter to your local newspaper, or include information in staff mailboxes, every activity makes a difference.

Licensing Caring Connections’ Resources: A Service to Your Community                         
Would you like to share valuable information about advance care planning with the patients and families at your hospice?  For example, would you like to incorporate Caring Connections information in your admission binder or newsletter? Or would you prefer to include your logo on Caring Connections’ advance directives to distribute to your patients and families? If so, you can enter into a licensing agreement with us.  Contents of our consumer brochures, Web site, www.caringinfo.org can be licensed for one year.  For more information on the licensing of Caring Connections material, please contact Natasha Brown at via e-mail at nbrown@nhpco.org or via telephone at 800/658-8898.

Free Preconference Seminar at NHPCO’s 2006 Management and Leadership Conference   
Are you looking for new ways to reach people in your service area?  Caring Connections is sponsoring a free half-day Preconference Seminar - “It’s About How You LIVE – At Work” - on Sunday, September 10, 2:00 – 5:00 pm, to help you reach new audiences in new ways. Workplace outreach can improve access to your programs and provide a new source of revenue and/or donations. The seminar is designed to help you reach out to local businesses and learn new strategies to increase your visibility and differentiate your program in your community.  For more information and to register, go to www.nhpco.org/mlc2006. 

2007 MLC Call for Proposals Deadline Sept 13, 2006
Share your expertise about community outreach at NHPCO’s 22nd annual Management and Leadership Conference to be held in Washington, DC, April 19 - 21, 2007.  The call for presentation proposals is open through September 13.  Learn more at nhpco.org. 

Congratulations to the Texas Partnership for End-of-Life Care in Austin, TX, who was awarded a three year grant by the Aetna Foundation for “Let’s Talk, Texas” an advance care planning education program.  Their program was one of ten Quality of Care grants awarded by Aetna in 2006.  For more information about the Texas Partnership for End-of-Life Care, go to www.txpec.org.  

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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