Medication They Need -- Submit Comments to the FDA by | | June 30, 2009. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon issue new Risk Evaluation and Management Strategies (REMS) for certain opioid pain management medications that could restrict patient access to them or remove them from the market. The FDA welcomes comments and letters on the REMS by June 30, 2009. To review the issues and policies related to the REMS that the FDA is currently considering, please click here. We encourage all interested parties to write the FDA to inform them of the need of patients in pain to access medications that alleviate their symptoms. To submit comments to the FDA, please click here to use their online form or mail a letter to Division of Dockets Management (HFA305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments on this issue, whether submitted online or by mail, must include the following label: Docket No. FDA-2009-N-0143.
 | | "Quality of Life for the Children" -- September 11 and
| 12, 2009 -- Third Annual National Conference on Pediatric |
| | Palliative Care from the DC Pediatric Palliative Care Collaboration. Register Now! The 2009 Quality of Life for the Children brings together national and international experts in providing comprehensive care to children and their families with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses. The conference will disseminate state-of-the-art information on quality of care for pediatric patients. For more information, view the conference brochure. To register online, please click here.
 | | Apply for the 2010 Circle of Life Award by August 9,
| 2009. The American Hospital Association's Circle of Life Award honors |
| | innovation in palliative and end-of-life care. For more information, including judging criteria and an application packet, please click here to visit the Circle of Life Award website; completed application packets are due by August 9, 2009. Winners of the 2009 Circle of Life Award will be publicized on the Circle of Life Award website in mid-July. The Partnership would like to congratulate Washington DC's Providence Hospital on earning a 2008 Circle of Life Citation of Honor, as well as the Partnership's own Outstanding Palliative Care Award in 2006.
 | | "Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009"
| introduced by Virginia Senator Mark Warner. The “Senior |
| | Navigation and Planning Act of 2009” will help seniors and their families make more informed medical decisions about end-of-life planning. Read more.
 | | Leading Palliative Care Physician Invited to White
| House Discussion on Healthcare Reform. Dr. Diane E. Meier of the |
| | Center to Advance Palliative Care was invited by the White House to participate in the third and final discussion of a series of roundtables on healthcare reform between physician stakeholders.
 | | JSSA offers Fall 2009 Training Institute for mental
| health professionals. JSSA will host a Training Institute for mental health |
| | professionals (including LCSW-Cs, LCSWs, psychologists, counselors, education professionals, and psychiatric nurses) from September - December 2009. Each educational program is eligible for CEUs. For more information, including a list of topics, please consult this brochure from the JSSA Training Institute.
 | | Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for Palliative
| Care. The National Consensus Project has released its second edition of |
| | Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. The Guidelines have been revised to offer the most current information on preferred practices for high quality palliative care. Visit the NCP website to learn more or obtain a copy of the Guidelines.
 | | "One Journey, Many Voices." Video on End-of-Life
| Care Available Online. Tell Us What You Think! The Greater |
| | Washington Partnership collaborated with AARP in producing "One Journey, Many Voices," a thirty-minute video offering a rich, diverse array of perspectives on serious illness and the end of life. This extraordinary video is now available online through our website. After you watch the video, we'd love for you to tell us what you think via our online feedback form.
 | | New Medicare Specialty Code for Hospice and
| Palliative Care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has |
| | established a new physician specialty code for Hospice and Palliative Care. The new physician specialty code will be 17 and goes into effect October 1, 2009. Physicians self-designate their Medicare physician specialty on the Medicare enrollment application (CMS-855I).
 | | DC Coalition on Long-Term Care to Develop Findings
| on Nursing Assistive Personnel. As of Summer 2009, the DC Board of |
| | Nursing will regulate nursing assistive personnel. To guide and stimulate the Board's thinking on nursing assistive personnel, the DC Coalition on Long-Term Care will submit findings to the Board, especially regarding the skills and training requisite for nursing assistive personnel at various stages of their career. For more information or to get involved in this initiative, please contact Vera Waltman Mayer at vmayer at iona dot org.
 | | The Montgomery County, Maryland offers a report
| and analysis of their November 2008 Senior Summit online |
| | at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sentmpl.asp? url=/content/pio/senior/summit.asp. Click here to read more about Montgomery County's recent research and planning into how County services can better meet the needs of local seniors.
 | | Partnership To Offer Presentations for Senior Citizens
| on Palliative Care Beginning Summer 2009. The Partnership will |
| | conduct presentations at local community organizations and senior centers on how palliative care can help senior citizens improve their quality of life beginning in Summer 2009. Please contact us to schedule a presentation at your facility.
 | | DC Offers Up-To-Date Information On Stimulus
| Funds. The DC government has created a new website, recovery.dc.gov, to |
| | inform the public about its efforts to apply for and allocate funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. An FAQ is also available on health-related funds at the following link: http://recovery.dc. gov/recovery/cwp/view,a,11,q,462367.asp.
 | | New Partnership Website. Exciting changes are happening
| at www.gwpartnership.org! The Partnership will launch a new and improved |
| | website in early 2009.
 | | Talk With Us About How to Improve the Comfort Care
| Order. The Partnership's Public Policy Committee is currently interviewing |
| | health care professionals and community members about how the DC Comfort Care Order could be made easier for patients and families. Would you like to share your thoughts with us? Please contact us to schedule an interview.
 | | New E-Newsletter on "Seniors and Caregivers" in
| Montgomery County, MD. The Montgomery County government has |
| | created a new e-newsletter on "Seniors and Caregivers." Subscribes will receive automatic updates on events and meetings, new or modified programs, benefits and services, changes in policies and/or laws, and other relevant information for seniors and caregivers in Montgomery County. To subscribe to this e-newsletter, please visit https://ext01.montgomerycountymd. gov/entp/s1p/esubpublic/newsubscriber.do.
 | | The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare
| Services (CMS) officially recognize Hospice and Palliative |
| | Medicine as a medical sub-specialty. This recognition will simplify and improve reimbursement for hospice and palliative care services. Read more...
 | | DC Develops Ombudsman Office for Medicaid
| Program. The District of Columbia is developing an Ombudsman Office that |
| | will work to ensure the safety and well-being of Medicaid beneficiaries in need of care and services to which they are entitled, as well as promote excellence and confidence in the DC Medicaid program. To read more about the new DC Ombudsman Office, including a list of services to be provided, please click here.
 | | DC, MD, and VA rated above national average in
| access to hospital-based palliative care. The Center to Advance |
| | Palliative Care has awarded the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia a grade of B, by comparison with a national average of C, in a new report card ranking the availability of hospital-based palliative care state by state. The Partnership urges the region to continue working to lead the nation in advancing the availability and the quality of palliative care services. Read the report card.
 | | LACRC Researches Latino Hospice Use in DC.
| The Latin American Cancer Research Coalition (LACRC) has completed a |
| | research paper funded by the National Cancer Institute on Latino hospice use in Washington DC. The research paper is available here on the Partnership website, with permission from Barbara Kreling, PhD, MPH, Cancer Control Program, Lombardi Cancer Center. Read the research paper.
Please join the Partnership and support our efforts to make real changes in palliative and end-of-life care in Greater Washington. Contact us for more information.
|
The Greater Washington Partnership for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
|
The Greater Washington Partnership for Palliative and End-of-Life Care:
Programs and Activities:
Resources and Information:
Get involved:
Contact the Partnership:
|