Programs Bring Innovation to Palliative and End-of-Life Care

Eight Programs Recognized as Circle of Life Honorees

CHICAGO, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three programs that expand the reach of palliative and end-of-life care will be recognized as the 2010 recipients of the Circle of Life Award^®: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, along with five others that will be awarded Citations of Honor.

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care in Kansas City, Mo.; Snohomish County Palliative Partnership in Everett, Wash.; and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) New York/New Jersey Healthcare Network will each receive a Circle of Life Award at a ceremony on July 23 in San Diego.

"A patient needing palliative or end-of-life care faces difficult challenges that must be addressed with skill and unique expertise," said AHA president and CEO, Rich Umbdenstock.  "These winners exemplify what the health care field is striving for: compassionate care for patients and families at all times.  These innovative programs serve as guiding lights for others on this path."

Citations of Honor were awarded to Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado in Grand Junction, Colo. in recognition of its integration with the community; New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation in New York, N.Y. for its strong corporate leadership commitment and system-wide approach to developing palliative care programs; Palliative Care Partnership of Providence TrinityCare Hospice – Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance in Torrance, Calif. because of their collaborative approach to palliative care and end-of-life care for both adults and children and  leadership in palliative care in the region and within the Providence System; Sharp HospiceCare in La Mesa, Calif., of its innovation in developing comprehensive services and programs and strong leadership within Sharp HealthCare's integrated system; and Summa Health System's Palliative Care and Hospice Services in Akron, Ohio in recognition  of its research, achievements in medical education, and work with long-term care facilities.  

Highlights of the Circle of Life Award programs

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care – Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care provides hospice and palliative home care, as well as a hospice house for patients who need care beyond what can be handled at home.  Paramount to their philosophy is viewing situations through the lens of the patient and families involved.  By modifying care to meet each patient's needs and wishes, patients and families lives are enriched during a very stressful experience.

Such commitment to caring comes from its skilled staff and a team of about 500 dedicated volunteers who provide additional assistance to caregivers and patients.  By understanding the important role a community plays, a wide spectrum of programs have been developed including outpatient services in a community oncology practice, a palliative medicine clinic, perinatal and expansive children's programs and collaboration with the University of Kansas Medical Center on a palliative medicine fellowship.

Snohomish County Palliative Partnership – Everett, Wash.

The Snohomish County Palliative Partnership is a palliative care and hospice consortium made up of Providence Hospice and Home Care, The Everett Clinic, Providence Regional Cancer Partnership, Providence Physician Group and Providence Regional Medical Center.  It provides a full continuum of care to patients from primary care to hospice needs.  Formed from informal partnerships, today the Snohomish County Palliative Partnership is a model for teamwork and communication among its partners, making transitions during the care process seamless.

To successfully serve its patients and to actively involve the community, the Snohomish County Palliative Partnership shares a common vision of patient- and family-centered end-of-life care.  Caregivers understand the important role that palliative and end-of-life care plays at every stage of patient care and work to understand patient and family wishes.  A focus on communication training and skills is a hallmark of the Snohomish County Palliative Partnership with all staff receiving special training with the goal of eliciting patient-and-family goals, fears, hopes and concerns.  

VA New York/New Jersey Healthcare Network  

The VA New York/New Jersey Healthcare Network - one of 21 VA healthcare networks - is comprised of five VA hospitals and five Community Living Centers (VA nursing homes). The VA Network Palliative Care Program standardizes care and provides for a uniform collection of data among its facilities.  The VA New York/New Jersey Healthcare Network's collaboration and measurement of its program has allowed it to become the model for the development of healthcare network Palliative Care programs throughout the VA system.  

Through collaboration with community partners like the New York and New Jersey State Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations, community hospice agencies, State Veterans Homes, and Veteran Service Organizations, outreach efforts to those in need continues to expand and includes veterans in the community who may not be enrolled in the VA.  VA New York/New Jersey Healthcare Network also places an emphasis on data collection and analysis to aid improvement and highlight needed changes in the program's direction.  A web-based "Report Card" displays team performance on important program goals and is available for review by all team members.    

This is the eleventh year for the Circle of Life Award.  The 2010 award is supported, in part by the Archstone Foundation, and by the California Healthcare Foundation, based in Oakland, Calif.  Major sponsors of the 2010 awards are the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization & National Hospice Foundation.  The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and the National Association of Social Workers are both cosponsors. The Circle of Life Award is a program administered by the Health Research & Educational Trust.

Circle of Life nominations were received and reviewed by a selection committee that included leaders from medicine, nursing, social work and health administration.  The committee visited programs that respect patient goals and preferences, provide comprehensive care, acknowledge and address the family or caregivers' concerns and needs and build systems and mechanisms of support that will ensure that the programs continue.  The programs selected serve as innovative models for other communities.  For more information on the Circle of Life Award, visit www.aha.org/circleoflife.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities.  The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care.  Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

SOURCE American Hospital Association