Michigan Pediatric Hospice & Bereavement Conference to be Held Nov. 21

    EAST LANSING, MI, November 15, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Now in its second year, the Art for Charlie Foundation will host its Pediatric Hospice and Bereavement Conference on Saturday, Nov. 21 in East Lansing.

This one-day conference, led by Dr. Jane Turner of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, is designed for healthcare, counseling and social work professionals from across the state as well as parents. The event was created to identify and remedy gaps in resources for dealing with the terminal diagnosis or death of a child and its impact on the family and community. This year's conference has a special emphasis on service needs in Michigan and beyond, featuring leaders in palliative and hospice care from around the country.

The conference is co-sponsored by Hospice of Michigan.

Dr. Kenneth J. Pituch, director of the pediatric hospitalist service at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and a University of Michigan professor, will open with a keynote address, drawing on his observations on treatment and care in the United Kingdom, where he recently returned from sabbatical. In October, Pituch was named program chair of The Jo Elyn Nyman & The Same and Jean Frankel Foundation Anchors Programs for Children, the expanded pediatric program of Hospice of Michigan.

This will be followed by short reports on pediatric palliative care in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland by:
• Betsy Hawley, executive director of Pennsylvania Pediatric Care Coalition
• Dr. Joel Frader, Todd Davis Professor of Academic General Pediatrics and professor of medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and representative of Greater Illinois Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition
• Mary Kay Tyler, director of pediatrics &and clinical support teams at Hospice of Western Reserve and representative of Ohio Pediatric Palliative Care and End of Life Network
• Kate Detwiler of the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Dr. James B. Fahner, who is the founder of the cancer and hematology program at DeVos Children's Hospital and the driving force behind Hospice of Michigan's pediatric hospice program, will lead a panel, including caregivers from Michigan, to discuss the reports and issues arising from them.

The last hour of the morning session will be for the first round of breakout groups, which are focused on perinatal care, pediatric respite homes, creative fund raising and financial support, children's multidisciplinary services clinics in Michigan and concurrent care, as well as broadening the definition of hospice in reference to pediatric care.

Over lunch Fahner will give an introductory talk on physician and caregiver training in pediatric palliative care to be followed by general discussion on the needs for training in Michigan and other states.

Discussion on bereavement support will open with a panel of parents, led by Laurel Hilliker, former director of the Grief Center at Park University and now with University of Michigan.

For the next hour of the afternoon there will be opportunity for attendees to join alternative breakout groups which they were unable participate in the morning session.

"Approximately 1,400 children die annually in Michigan, leaving a tremendous emptiness in the families they leave behind," said Abigail Waller, president and founder of Art for Charlie, a charity that helps children with life-limiting illnesses and grieving parents. "This conference is designed to convene experts in this field who can share their experience and help educate caregivers on the very real need for additional programs and support."

The conference, held at Marriott at University Place in East Lansing, will begin at 8 a.m. with breakfast and registration followed by a keynote address at 9 a.m. A buffet lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., and the conference will close at 4:30 p.m.

Registration is $75, which includes breakfast and lunch, to attend the full day of sessions. A $35 registration rate is available for families with present or past involvement with pediatric care and for full time students. To register, visit http://www.artforcharlie.com/conference.htm#form. Accommodations for Friday and Saturday nights are available at special rates at the Marriott at University Place, East Lansing through the link on the Art for Charlie website.

Please visit http://www.artforcharlie.com/conference or email [email protected] for more information.

About Art for Charlie Foundation
Established in East Lansing, Mich. in 2012, the Art for Charlie Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) corporation that raises money through art events and art sales to provide hospice and palliative care for very ill children and to help families who have suffered the loss of a child.

About Hospice of Michigan
A nationally recognized leader in end-of-life care, Hospice of Michigan is the original - and largest - hospice in the state. The nonprofit cares for more than 1,700 patients each day, raising more than $4 million each year to cover the cost of care for the uninsured and underinsured. HOM offers a broad range of services to enhance the quality of life at the end of life, including At Home Support , our advanced illness management program, community-based palliative care and pediatric care programs. HOM provides grief support and counseling, caregiver education and support, and education programs for physicians and healthcare professionals through its research, training and education arm, the Hospice of Michigan Institute. For more information, call 888.247.5701 or visit http://www.hom.org.

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