Greater Washington Partnership for Palliative and End-of-Life Care

Welcome to The Greater Washington Partnership for
Palliative and End-of-Life Care, working to bring families,
providers, health professionals, consumers and the
public together to improve care for patients and families
coping with advanced illness and end-of-life issues.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

		GWP Requests Feedback on Stocking Issue The Partnership
		has been working on the opioid stocking issue - an issue often found in Washington, D.C.'s low-income neighborhoods. If you know of someone who has experienced this problem, please let us know. Information that would be helpful for our research would be (1) the origin of the prescription (i.e. hospital, emergency room, general practitioner); (2) illness (i.e. reason for prescription); (3) prescription name; (4) name of the pharmacy unable to fulfill prescription; (5) reason given for not being able to fill the prescription. Click here to provide this information using the GWP feedback form. No other information on the patient is required, and anonymity will be honored. The name of the person providing the information will also remain confidential. Your assistance in finding a solution is most appreciated.

		Side-by-Side: Advance Care Planning Provisions in
		House Bill - America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 Click here to view a side-by-side comparison of the First Tri-Committee Bill (HR 3200 - Introduced version) and the Revised House Bill 3962 (10/29/09 version) prepared by GWP Public Policy Committee Chairperson, Charles Sabatino.

		Palliative Care Presentation for Medical Residents at
		Howard University Hospital One hundred fifty medical residents at Howard University Hospital were in attendance on October 26th and 27th to hear GWP Board Member, Dr. George Taler present on the topic of palliative care. The presentation was videotaped, and residents gave the presentation a thumbs up. Reflecting the mission of the Partnership to promulgate the importance of palliative care in the treatment of serious illness, the venue provided a wonderful opportunity to meet this goal. Working with Robin Newton, MD, FACP, Director of Graduate Medical Education at Howard University Hospital, this is the first presentation the Partnership will provide. Three additional presentations have been scheduled for the 2010 academic year. Excerpts from the video will be uploaded shortly.

		2009 End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC)
		Training Ends with High Evaluation Scores Over 200 healthcare professionals have been trained since ELNEC training was launched in April. For a $60/ $65 registration fee, registrants received two full days of training that covered eight modules, two meals, beverages, and a training manual. Eight presenters infused their professional experiences to enrich the registrants' educational experience. In addition, nurses received 12 educational credits through the Howard University Hospital. We are grateful to all our presenters for volunteering their time and for their commitment to continually increase the quality of palliative care services. The Partnership also acknowledges Grubb's Pharmacy for its support of both trainings. To learn more about the ELNEC program, see the full list of sponsors and our partners, click here.

		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.

		Partnership Now Offers Presentations for Senior Citizens
		on Palliative Care. The Partnership is conducting presentations at local community organizations and senior centers on how palliative care can help senior citizens improve their quality of life. Please contact us to schedule a presentation at your facility.

		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.

		Be Counted! Enter your program into the National
		Palliative Care (TM) Registry for 2009. Less than three months remain to be counted in the National Palliative Care Registry (TM). Over 500 programs have already participated. Click here for more information on how to enter your organization. Registration is free. Read more information about the National Palliative Care (TM) Registry written by GWP Staff Writer, Lena Aburdene.

		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.

		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.

		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 th is brochure from the JSSA Training Institute .

		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.

		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.

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: