“Finding Strength in Every Day”: Tips for palliative care providers
Photo: OHPCA board members Dr. Laura Mavity (St. Charles Healthcare) and Nicole Elovitz (Regence), OHPCA staff Meg McCauley & Barb Hansen, Dr. Mimi Pattison (Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care) and Leslie Foren (Regence).
On the first Friday of each month, providers gather for the All-City Palliative Care Lecture Series program. Regence BlueCross BlueShield co-sponsored the November 3rd session of the monthly program along with the Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association to bring speaker Dr. Mimi Pattison from Franciscan Hospice in Tacoma, WA to speak to the group.
The Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association is a professional organization that provides education and training to hospice providers across the state. At the event, they shared news that they have recently expanded their work to include palliative care. Palliative care focuses on providing relief from symptoms and other stresses of a serious illness. Providers seek to improve quality of life for patients and their families. It’s similar in some ways to hospice care, ensuring that providers in this growing field are supported is of great importance.
A palliative medicine physician with over two decades of clinical experience in the field, Dr. Pattison’s medical interests include ethical issues at end of life, systems integration of palliative care, and access for persons with dementia to palliative care and hospice.
Nicole Elovitz, Director of Product Marketing and Board Member of OHPCA, shared why this expansion is so important. “Palliative care is all about helping people, caregivers, and medical professionals work toward shared goals,” said Nicole. “It’s about learning what’s important to people and personalizing care to match those values.”
Dr. Mimi Pattison from Franciscan Hospice in Tacoma, WA spoke with the group about “Finding Strength in the Every Day” and how providers can go about identifying resources and methods to sustain themselves in their work. One such method she covered was how to build a “climate of healing” by strengthening relationships through good communication with patients, families and colleagues. To learn more about the Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association, visit their website at https://oregonhospice.org/. To find out more about the all-city palliative care events, please contact Molly Willis at willima@ohsu.edu.