Circles of Influence
Highlights of the Continuing Journey of Past Circle of Life Winners
2001
Organization: Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY. The program was cited for creation of a Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care equal to other medical departments; integration of a certified hospice program as a resource for end-of-life care within a broader model of palliative care; multiple sites of care; specialized programs for cancer, sickle cell, and HIV and a drop-in palliative care program; Institute for Education and Research in pain management and palliative care; and comprehensive web site (www.stoppain.org) with resources for caregivers and physicians.
Recent Achievements: The department has brought in additional physicians, a psychologist, and a PharmD. New programming includes a special medical intensive care unit-palliative care program. The department has continued its educational focus with an accredited physician fellowship in hospice and palliative care, a nurse practitioner fellowship in palliative care, a social work fellowship in palliative care, and a psychology post-doctoral fellowship in palliative care. It is also a training site for a music therapy internship, a pastoral care internship, and a pharmacy internship.
Award Impact: The Circle of Life Award is credited with increasing the department’s stature and visibility in the institution. It is seen as one event that established the program as cutting edge and worthy of support.
The monies were added to an education fund.
Organization: Called Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore when it received the Circle of Life Award, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter has been headquartered since 2005 in Glenview, IL. Innovation highlights in 2001 were home palliative care consultations, telephone case management for patients not in home care or hospice, home care assistant service, in-home therapy services, and hospice that serve both adults and children.
Recent Achievements: Since receiving the Circle of Life Award, the hospice has regionalized its program and serves a broader population. A capital campaign and subsequent construction of the organization’s new central office enhanced their ability to provide hospice, palliative care and bereavement services, all of which have grown. At the time it was honored, the hospice had a 215 daily census; today the daily census is 380, totaling nearly 2,000 patients annually. The palliative care consultation program sees 1,400 each year.
The hospice works with every major health care system in the area, nursing homes, and ambulatory clinics. In 2009, the organization refocused programs and services on their core business of hospice and palliative care by transferring ownership of home care-related services to other organizations.
Education continues as a core value, both with community members on the value and distinctions of hospice and palliative care and with practitioners to enhance their capabilities in the field. For example, the organization instituted a palliative medicine fellowship in 2001 with Rush University and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County; 13 fellows have completed the program, and nearly all are now board certified in hospice and palliative medicine. Midwest CareCenter also was named a clinical scholar site by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Award Impact: The Circle of Life brought increased community awareness and motivated the organization to increased achievement. The honor appeared to be a deciding factor in some fundraising, including a challenge grant and an administrative building campaign. The application itself was a good spur to examine outcomes.
The award also brought increased and continuing requests about lessons learned in instituting palliative care. Midwest CareCenter has shared what worked and what didn’t with both domestic and international visitors, and their administrative and healthcare professionals have spoken at various educational sessions and workshops, locally, regionally and nationally.
Funds were used to participate in Rand’s MediCaring project in providing services for COPD-CHF patients and for start-up costs for a medical home visit program for the frail elderly, where more than 200 fail elderly were seen by primary care physicians, advanced practice nurses, and social workers.
Organization: Compassionate Care Focus, St. Joseph’s Manor, Trumbull, CT. The Compassionate Care Focus Group first met in 1997—a multidisciplinary, institution-wide effort at improving end-of-life care in the long-term care facility. Innovation highlights noted were a special end-of-life symbol on residents’ doors, emphasis on avoiding disruptive hospitalization at end of life, amenities for grieving families, and intensive staff involvement in procedural changes.
Recent Achievements: The organization has been in flux in recent years, with change in ownership in 2006. Although the policies are still in place, the focus group no longer meets.
Award Impact: St. Joseph’s Manor was the first long-term care facility to receive the Circle of Life Award. And people who work in a nursing home receive very little positive reinforcement from society. For those reasons, the award recognizing their work as nationally innovative had a tremendous impact on staff morale. The crystal is still displayed in the lobby.
Funds were used to strengthen the patient and family orientation of the program—a bellcart for transporting belongings, angels to mark doors of dying patients, sleeper chairs for each nursing unit, new colored jersey sheets, and a double swing for the home’s orchard that would accommodate a wheelchair.
St. Joseph’s Manor staff spoke about its program at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Carmelite Sisters and articles were written for the journal of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and the Catholic Health Association’s Health Progress (with a sidebar article on the Circle of Life Award). Long-term care facilities consulted by phone with St. Joseph’s for information about how the program developed.