6 Groundbreaking Studies on Spiritual Care in Health Care to Be Announced

Spring Conference Culminates First-Ever Research Collaboration on the Role of Spiritual Care within Patient-Centered Care

NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Growing recognition of the role of spiritual care in providing effective patient care will take a major step forward at HealthCare Chaplaincy Network's (HCCN) first annual conference, Caring for the Human Spirit: Driving the Research Agenda for Spiritual Care in HealthCare, March 31 through April 3, 2014, at The New York Academy of Medicine in New York City. A live webcast of most conference sessions will also be available.

Presented will be six groundbreaking studies funded by the John Templeton Foundation  ̶  the latest, most comprehensive body of research to date. Keynote speakers will include leaders in the fields of Oncology, Palliative Care and Hospice Care.

"The conference will present the results of an unprecedented level of scientific research quality, energy, and collaboration to grow the evidence base of the impact of spiritual care within health care," said Rev. Eric Hall, HCCN President and CEO. "It will also shape the agenda for future research."  

Keynote speakers will include:

• Linda Emanuel, MD, PhD, Director, Buehler Center on Aging, Health & Society, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University and Senior Vice President, Research & Education, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network\
• Kathleen Foley, MD, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience & Clinical Pharmacology,
  Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Hospice & Palliative Care, Ohiohealth
• Jimmie C. Holland, MD, Wayne E Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology,
  Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center 

Funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the six new, groundbreaking studies to be presented are:

• Hospital Chaplaincy and Medical Outcomes at the End of Life 
  Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
• Understanding Pediatric Chaplaincy in Crisis Situations
  Children's Mercy Hospital (Kansas City)
• Impact of Hospital-Based Chaplain Support on Decision-Making During Serious Illness in a Diverse Urban Palliative Care Population
  Emory University (Atlanta)
• Caregiver Outlook: An Evidence-Based Intervention for the Chaplain Toolkit
  Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC)
• Spiritual Assessment and Intervention Model (AIM) in Outpatient Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Cancer
  University of California, San Francisco
• "What do I do" – Developing a Taxonomy of Chaplaincy Activities and Interventions for Spiritual Care in ICU Palliative Care
  Advocate Charitable Foundation & Advocate Health Care (Chicago)

The conference is designed for chaplains, physicians, nurses, social workers and other professionals interested in understanding, participating in or expanding the evidence base for the effectiveness of spiritual care in health care.

Attendees (in person or via webcast) can register online at healthcarechaplaincy.org.

About HealthCare Chaplaincy Network
HealthCare Chaplaincy Network (HCCN) is a health care agency dedicated to helping people faced with the distress of illness and suffering, find comfort and meaning. HCCN is a leader in providing compassionate spiritual care in hospitals, online and beyond, as well as a leader in education and research focused on spiritual care in health care. www.healthcarechaplaincy.org.

About the John Templeton Foundation
The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Foundation supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will. It encourages civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians and between such experts and the public at large, for the purposes of definitional clarity and new insights.

Contact: Jim Siegel
[email protected]
T 212-644-1111 x141 M 917-723-8537

SOURCE The HealthCare Chaplaincy