Dear readers:
Welcome to this edition of the IAHPC Newsletter. As always, we have a wealth of information about our activities, news on the development of hospice and palliative care around the world, announcements of meetings and events and information about funding opportunities.
During April 7-10th, we participated in the Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) in Aachen , Germany. This Congress has become one of the most important in the field and attracts participants from many countries. We are very grateful with EAPC and especially with Heidi Blumberg for giving us the opportunity to have an exhibit space at no cost (included in this edition are some pictures). Many thanks to all those who stopped by to say hello, request information, enroll as members, or offer support. Your interest and commitment to the development of hospice and palliative care in the world is a great force behind what we do.
While in Aachen, we held a meeting of the Board of Directors and later on, we enjoyed an open discussion with several of our members about our future strategic plan. It was a great opportunity to think about what lies ahead for a global organization like IAHPC and how we will continue meeting the needs of our members, patients, and care providers from around the world. We are currently working on the initial draft of our strategic plan, taking into account the recommendations and suggestions from our members. Thanks to all those who accepted our invitation to participate. We will share this plan with you once it is completed.
We are also very grateful with Dr. Stefan Esser, the International Medical Director at Grünenthal for the financial and logistics support for our meeting in Aachen . Special thanks to Mr. Michael Wirtz, founder of Grunenthal GmbH and a strong supporter of palliative care. Over the course of many years Mr. Wirtz has donated personal funds to several philanthropic causes, including the creation of Chairs in Palliative Care in academic hospitals in Germany . He has set an example that founders and CEOs of other companies should follow.
The IAHPC Traveling Scholarship Program continues to provide invaluable support to individuals from developing countries to attend courses, training sessions in palliative care centers, or participate in congresses and meetings. For the EAPC Congress, we were proud to sponsor three palliative care leaders: Dr. Martha Ximena Leon, from Colombia; Dr. Liz Gwyther, from South Africa and Nurse Odette Garcea from Romania . Also, we currently have in place a grant program to support scholars from India who attend the six week palliative care course offered in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi , Kerala. To date, we have funded three Traveling Scholars to this course: Dr. Nesamani Anand; Dr. Republica Sridhar; and Dr. Subathra Muthukumaran. Those interested in finding more about the course can contact Professor MR Rajagopal at [email protected]
We have added new features to the Educational Resources page, in http://www.hospicecare.com/edu/, including treatment guidelines for HIV and AIDS patients. We also added a new page in the Resources section, called Standards of Palliative Care http://www.hospicecare.com/standards/ This page includes standards for the provision of palliative care in different countries, so if you know of a set of standards which is not included in this list, please let us know. Many thanks to Ms. Peggy Harper and Ms. Mary Callaway from Open Society Institute for their contribution to this Section.
In our Resources Section we have a page called Teachers in Palliative Care. This page includes the names and specialties of individuals who are interested in spending time teaching palliative care in developing countries. If you would like to invite someone to your palliative care unit or hospice, this may help you identify a person whose profile fits your needs. And if you are interested in teaching palliative care in developing countries and your name is not listed, please submit it via our website. Just click on the link for the submission form to send us your information. To visit the Teachers page, click on Resources in the top navigation bar in our website.
Remember you can make donations to IAHPC via our website. Donations to IAHPC can be made in memory of someone and are a good way to express your sympathy to a loved one in a moment of sorrow. To make a donation to IAHPC click on https://www.hospicecare.com/give/donate.html
This month we will participate in the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Florida. As many of you know, the ASCO meeting attracts more than 25,000 participants from all over the world. We will be located in the Patient Advocacy Booth in the Exhibit Hall, so if you have plans to be in Orlando, stop by our desk and say hello. Ana Restrepo and Liliana will be there to answer questions and help. Many thanks to the ASCO Foundation for inviting us to participate in the Patient Advocacy Booth and for their interest in supportive and palliative care
Until next month,
Kathy Foley, MD
Chair, Board of Directors |
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director |
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© 2005 IAHPC Press
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