Vol. 13, November 2005

The e-newsletter of the Washington End of Life Consensus Coalition

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History and Highlights
The morning portion of the conference was highlighted by a Coalition history lesson from William Robertson, MD, a member of the WEOLCC steering committee since its inception. Dr. Robertson not only gave a history of the Coalition, but also of the evolution of end-of-life care in Washington state as well as the rest of the nation - setting the stage for the creation of groups like the WEOLCC.

Other morning highlights included steering committee member Robb Miller's detailed recounting of the Coalition's efforts at promoting community end-of-life education, via the creation of a community forum manual and hosting of train-the-trainers workshops; Coalition Chair Stu Farber's explanation of the Coalition's ongoing efforts at improving end-of-life education in the professional realm, in particular by establishing and maintaining end-of-life training at the UW School of Medicine, as well as holding yearly CME courses in subjects ranging from palliative care to advance directives; Coalition member Sally Denton and staff member Graham Short's history lesson of the POLST program, relating the efforts of the Coalition, the WSMA and RENEW (Regional Ethics Network of Eastern Washington) at promoting the POLST form throughout the state via free distribution of the form, the creation of a training video, as well as earned media promoting the form.

After the morning presentations, introductions were made and then the real work of the conference began!

Determining the Future of the Coalition
Conference attendees were asked what areas they would like to see the Coalition focus on in the upcoming year. They were then asked to vote on those areas they felt needed the most attention. Five areas were established:

Setting Goals; Doing the Work
Breakout sessions began; attendees were asked to choose one group in which their expertise would be most beneficial. Each taskforce was then instructed to come up with goals for the upcoming year and a work plan to reach those goals.

Below is a description of each taskforce, with a brief synopsis of the respective goals/workplan for 2006. The taskforce will meet periodically throughout the year to move the workplan forward. Each taskforce includes a 'liaison' from the steering committee, who will update the committee on the progress of the taskforce at their quarterly meetings.

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• Community Education in Ethnic Diversity Task Force
This taskforce sees an exciting first-time collaboration with the Seattle African-American Comfort Program (SAACP) for 2006 (a decision was made by the group to have an initial focus on the African American community).

Goal: A two-day diversity conference on African Americans, a collaboration with the SAACP, WSHPCO, and Gospel Extravaganza.

Liaison: Georganne Trandum, georgannetrandum@fhshealth.org

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• Faith Community Education Task Force
The largest taskforce to come out of the conference, this group identified a distinct need for outreach to the faith community.

Goals: Assess needs and offer resources to faith community; co-sponsor clergy end of life education in 2006.

Liaison: Donna Oiland, dmoiland@evergreenhealthcare.org

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• Empowerment Taskforce
This taskforce agreed upon the ongoing need to empower community members to understand basic end of life issues and enable them to both initiate and participate in conversations with their families and medical providers.

Goal: Identify and promote existing educational programs and community resources.

Liaison: Robb Miller, rm@blarg.net

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• POLST Taskforce
Not surprisingly, the POLST program received a lot of attention. This taskforce will work closely with the current POLST architects: RENEW, the WSMA, and the DOH.

Goals: E-registry; additions to current program including: bracelets, wallet cards, necklaces; and more education.

Liaison: Sharmon Figenshaw, sharmonrn@earthlink.net

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• Professional Education Task Force
A priority of the Coalition since day one, professional education remains a crucial component to the effort to improve end of life care.

Goals: Create and promote a rating system for currently available programs; continue to foster educational opportunities; create roster of EOL professionals available to teach/mentor; liaison with legal community.

Liaison: Stu Farber, sfarber@u.washington.edu

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Participation and Staying Informed
Want to be more actively involved in one or more of these efforts? Contact the taskforce liaison(s) and find out how you can help.

Liaisons will present progress reports to the steering committee during their quarterly meetings. Minutes from these meetings are distributed to the entire Coalition, enabling each Coalition member to keep tabs on the progress of these efforts.

The Coalition publishes newsletters, usually on a quarterly basis, distributed to the entire membership. Be sure to visit the Coalition's Web home, hosted on the WSMA Web site. The address is:

http://www.wsma.org/about_wsma/weolcc.cfm

There you'll find the Coalition's vision and mission statements, a roster of the steering committee, the current newsletter, as well as breaking news and updates from the Coalition.

 

Happy Holidays from the WEOLCC!

 

End of Life Steering Committee:
Stuart Farber MD, Chair
Sharmon Figenshaw RN, Vice-Chair
Taya Briley RN
Peter McGough MD
Jeff Mero
Robb Miller
Donna Oiland
William O. Robertson MD
Jim Shaw, MD
Alma Stanford RN
Senator Pat Thibaudeau
Georganne Trandum RN
Linda Wrede-Seaman MD

Staff: Graham Short

For more information regarding the Washington End of Life Consensus Coalition, contact Graham Short at gfs@wsma.org, or (206) 956-3633.