In May and June Let Experts Expand Your Knowledge with These Webinars

These new webinars are for anyone interested in these topics – the general public, chaplains, other religious professionals, other spiritual care providers.

Each webinar is 90-minutes long, includes time for discussion/questions and answers, and costs $35. If you purchase the webinar but cannot attend for any reason, you will still be able to view the webinar recording for six months after the event. All of the webinars run 2-3:30 pm Eastern Time.

May 3rd, 2011: Advanced Care Planning for Aging, Illness, and Incapacity

Become familiar with the concepts, vocabulary and tools that are necessary for preparing for the legal and spiritual needs that arise as people age, become incapacitated, or face life-limiting illness.

The expert presenters are Robert Wolf, Esq. – Senior Vice President, Innovation and Development, HealthCare Chaplaincy and Martin Montonye, DMin, BCC – Vice President, Academic Affairs, HealthCare Chaplaincy.

May 9th, 2011: Caring in the Presence of Loss

Learn to identify the needs of people grieving, explore the experience of grief and bereavement, and discuss the various interventions to provide supportive care.

Learn the contribution of Kubler-Ross' stage theory of grief; be able to define the terms anticipatory grief, bereavement, grief and mourning; and identify the skills necessary to engender trust and openness in a relationship with someone who is dying.

The expert presenter is Martin Montonye, DMin, BCC – Vice President, Academic Affairs, HealthCare Chaplaincy.

June 14th, 2011: The Role of Chaplaincy Within a Changing Culture

Become familiar with the current and salient issues in making a health care institution culture-friendly for patients, families and staff. New Joint Commission standards and assessments will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the role that chaplains can have in being the “culture broker” for the institution.

The expert presenter is George Handzo, BCC, CSSBB – vice president, chaplaincy care leadership and practice, HealthCare Chaplaincy.

June 28th, 2011: Spiritual Screening, History Taking and Assessment

Learn a system for integrating spiritual screening, history taking, assessment and care planning into the palliative care team. Based on the work of the National Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Palliative Care.

The expert presenter is George Handzo, BCC, CSSBB. To learn more or register, click here.

Future issues of HealthCare Chaplaincy Today will update you on more webinars to come.

Don’t Miss Our 50th Anniversary Convocation
and Reception!

When: Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm

Where: Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, Fifth Avenue at 65th Street

Celebrate HealthCare Chaplaincy’s 50 years of caring for the soul of New York.

Celebrate the commissioning of three new chaplains.

Celebrate the awarding of the first Pioneer Medal for Outstanding Leadership in Health Care to a leader in palliative care – Linda Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., Buehler Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Director of the Buehler Center on Aging, Health & Society, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Emanuel will deliver the keynote address entitled
“Palliative Care: Science and Spirit Together Again.”

The event is free, but RSVP is required. Please click here.

New York Ranks Highest in Aggressive
End-of-Life Medical Care

46% of chronically ill patients in the Manhattan hospital region die in the hospital rather than at home or in hospices or nursing homes, reports The New York Times. The findings come from a new study by researchers at Dartmouth College.

This compares to only 28% of such patients who died in the hospital nationwide.

The report says the disparity may be driven by financial incentives to keep patients in the hospital, despite their true wishes.

“Surveys show quite clearly that Americans don’t want to spend their last days in intensive care units,” said Dr. Elliott Fisher, a co-author of the study. “What they want is to avoid suffering, to be with their families, to be mentally aware.” To read the full New York Times article, click here.

Conductor now directs a new “symphony”
at HealthCare Chaplaincy

Carl Marucci is an accomplished conductor, pianist and organist. He is also an accomplished fund raiser. So it’s with great pleasure that HealthCare Chaplaincy announces that Carl will be pulling out all the stops to conduct fund raising efforts as the new vice president for advancement.

Carl comes to us with a record of more than 20 years of successful fund raising and leadership in institutional advancement. For the past 8 years Carl has served as executive director at Community Counseling Services Fund Raising, which manages the capital campaigns of numerous nonprofit academic, health care, human services, and religious and cultural organizations.

Earlier, Carl was executive director of the Path to Peace Foundation. He also served as a diplomatic attaché of the Vatican to the United Nations.

As a further note, Carl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Arts in theology, and another in medical ethics. He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as well as the American Guild of Organists.

Carl says, “I feel as though I’ve come full circle now that I’ve found a home at HealthCare Chaplaincy. My pastoral and fundraising experiences blend together perfectly with the Chaplaincy’s mission and future direction. I’m so very excited to be part of such an amazing team.”

Meet Extraordinary Patient Care Honoree
Patricia Woods, PhD

Our annual Wholeness of Life Awards dinner on November 4th featured the patient care honorees from the metropolitan New York health care institutions where we manage, staff, and operate board certified chaplaincy services.

Each honoree is chosen by his or her peers as an exemplar of patient-centered care.

Each issue of HealthCare Chaplaincy Today has been profiling one honoree. This is the final honoree from last November’s event.

Today meet Patricia Woods, PhD, Director of Psychological Services, Chief Learning Officer of NYHQ College, New York Hospital Queens. From the citation read at the award ceremony at the hospital, here’s what her colleagues say about her:

“Patricia, you have devoted your professional life in service to New York Hospital Queens as a psychologist.

“Your professional colleagues, patients, and their loved ones regard your name as synonymous with caring and quality patient care.

“In everything you do, you continually demonstrate a degree of excellence and personal growth that inspires other staff members.

“You value spirituality in the treatment of the whole person.

“Your calm and caring manner has helped many a frightened family though life changing events.

“Patricia, in the way that you minister to all who you touch, you exemplify the best that health care has to offer.”

Follow us and join the conversations on spirit –centered palliative care.