March 2021 | Issue 2
Palliative Care in the Southeast The Southeast Institute of Innovation in Palliative and Supportive Care ( SIIPSC ) Quarterly Newsletter
Dear colleagues throughout the Southeast ( and beyond !), welcome to our second quarterly newsletter ,
Palliative and Supportive Care has been found to be very , very effective in helping to reduce the suffering of patients with serious illness , and as a result , reducing anxiety and worry in their families . Yet in our region , very few patients have access to such care . That ’ s why , here at UAB , we established the Southeast Institute for Innovation in Palliative and Supportive Care . By sharing knowledge and expertise and creating networks of those interested in providing ( or receiving ) such care , we can increase the number of people with serious illness who can receive supportive care . Since we are in the Southeast , we can also share knowledge that meets the cultural values of our patients . If we can provide more palliative and supportive care in our region , think of all the suffering we can prevent .
The first thing we did was find out what you need . We did that at our first Summit ( November 2018 ), and we thank each and every one of you that provided this invaluable input . You spoke and we listened ! You requested information on how to establish palliative care services , and how to provide such care in a way that is respectful of the culture of our communities . So this year , at our Summit we designed presentations and trainings that addressed these needs . We were so disappointed that we couldn ’ t host you all here in Birmingham and get to meet you face to face , but thanks to the incredible efforts of our very own Aras Acemgil , Director at our Center for Palliative and Supportive Care , we were able to convert our conference to a virtual Summit . And so many of you ( 173 ) attended and we even had many attendees ( from outside the Southeast US . We got to meet so many of you on Zoom at our Q & A sessions , our “ Birds of a Feather ” meetings and at the Cultural Training . What ’ s even more wonderful than us meeting you is that you got to meet your colleagues . I heard so often people say : “ Oh , you have that challenge ? We do too , can we talk ?” Or “ You ’ re doing X or Y to solve such an issue ; we ’ re trying that too . Can we talk afterwards and see if we can learn from each other ?” Another very exciting thing that happened is the high number of people ( 70 !) who signed up to participate in the workshop on how to care for African Americans with serious illness in a culturally respectful way . Unfortunately , we had to cap this webinar , but don ’ t worry , if you didn ’ t get a chance to participate , we will offer it again . In this issue , you will find out more about the Summit , and hear input from those who attended .
We have many more wonderful plans ahead to address our region ’ s needs ahead , and I ’ ll update you on these as they get closer to being implemented . As always , we are here to respond to your supportive care needs , so please write to me and let me know your thoughts , ideas and suggestions .
Ronit Elk , Ph . D . Associate Director Southeast Institute for Innovation in Palliative and Supportive Care ( SIIPSC )