The Tennessee Hospital Association and its Memphis-area members are hosting a continuing education symposium on quality of life and palliative care at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 26. The all-day event is sponsored by THA’s Memphis Hospital District. Physician attendees can earn up to six American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award Category 1 CreditsTM. They also will receive complimentary registration to participate in the Pediatric Palliative Oncology Symposium at St. Jude that same week. In addition to physicians, hospital leaders and physician practice management professionals are encouraged to attend.
The symposium will cover all aspects of palliative care and quality of life for adults, such as the latest research on advanced care planning, symptom management and care delivery models, including outpatient settings and patient and family-centered care, as well as billing and reimbursement. National experts also will address the importance of support for staff. “Memphis area hospitals work together to continuously improve healthcare in their community,” said Craig Becker, THA president and CEO. “This symposium is another example of their collaboration to ensure patients and their families from Memphis and the surrounding counties have access to the best healthcare possible.” The meeting will close with a dinner at which Rev. Keith Norman, vice president of government affairs at Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, will serve as keynote speaker. A local community leader, Norman serves as pastor and president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Immediately following dinner, attendees can attend a screening of 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee MR Rajagopal, M.D.’s film, “Hippocratic: 18 Experiments in Gently Shaking the World.” Rajagopal is an acclaimed physician from India who tells how he broke barriers to improve end-of-life care for India’s vulnerable population. Palliative care, a board-certified medical specialty, provides care for people with life threatening illnesses, with focused attention on quality of life. According to the Center to Advance Palliative Care, palliative care delivery has increased steadily during the past 15 years.
Members of the Memphis Hospital District include Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Crestwyn Behavioral Health, Delta Medical Center, HealthSouth, Lakeside Behavioral Health System, Memphis Mental Health Institute, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Regional One Health, Saint Francis Health System, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Unity Psychiatric Care. This one day conference is part of the larger Pediatric Palliative Oncology Symposium at St. Jude, which runs Sept. 26 through 28, and will feature Justin Baker, M.D., Pam Hinds, Ph.D., Lori Weiner, Ph.D., Anne Kazak, Ph.D., Sarah Friebert, M.D., Stefan Friedrichsdoft, M.D., Joanne Wolfe, M.D. and Amit Sood, M.D.
For additional program information and to register, visit www.stjude.org/tha-meeting.
The fee to attend is $149, which includes breakfast, lunch and heavy appetizers.
About THA: The Tennessee Hospital Association was founded in 1938 and serves as an advocate for hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations across the state. The initiatives of THA support the efforts of Tennessee’s hospitals to ensure high quality care for the patients and communities they serve.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit www.stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.
