Wed 11/16 Palliative Pupus

You are invited to join us Palliative Pupus, our exciting local networking and clinical education opportunity. If you are involved with palliative care cases or would like to learn what palliative care actually is, you are invited.

This month we will hear from the Hospice Maui team how they helped honor a patient with advanced COPD’s wish to return to Molokai for end-of-life care.  The discussion will include the unique challenges and opportunities of inter-island transfer.

Wed. Nov 16

5:15 pm – 7:00 pm

Register in advance for Palliative Pupus zoom meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Save the date: Dec 1 Kōkua Mau Meeting

We will feature a special guest, a talk by Dr. Ilan Bernstein at our December 1 combined Nov & Dec meeting. 

Thur Dec 1, 2022

3:00-5 PM

Please join us on December 1st for a talk by Dr. Ilan Bernstein titled "Psychedelic Medicine & Palliative Care: An Exploration of Old and Ancient Therapies To Address Twenty-First Century Clinical Challenges." 

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an investigational treatment for a number of mental health conditions which has gained a growing interest across a variety of settings and disciplines.

Dr. Ilan Bernstein joined the Pain and Palliative Care Dept at the Queen’s Medical Center as a staff physician in 2013. Dr. Bernstein graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2008 and is currently board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is an assistant clinical professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at JABSOM. Dr. Bernstein is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

If you are interested in reading more about psilosybin and serious illness care, here is an article by Dr. Ira Byock on the CAP website. Additionally, Dr. Bernstein was a co-author on an journal article Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians should know about Psychedelic-Assisted therapy in the context of serious illness.

Register in advance for the December monthly meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the zoom meeting.

Join our monthly Kōkua Mau Meeting to network with colleagues, share your updates and hear about what is happening across the state to improve care for those with serious illness. 

If you have announcements to share, please let Jeannette know!!!

Save the date: Dec 1 World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day 2022, December 1 will be a hybrid meeting hosted by Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Avenue.

Thur Dec 1 World AIDS Day 2022

6-8:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

After 2 years of zoom only we are excited to announce the hybrid event starting at 6 PM with music, hula and the Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award 2022. The final program will be announced soon in our newsletter and the website World AIDS Day Hawai'i. 

For those who will be able to attend in person: a reception in Weaver Hall with pupus and entertainment will follow. Hawaii panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and other local artists will also be represented. 

Kōkua Mau is proud to be a sponsor of this event. 

VA Resources added on our Website

Thanks to Kōkua Mau board member Dr. Emese Somogyi we now have two resource pages dedicated to help professionals and their loved ones navigate the VA. 

• A Resources for Veterans and their Loved Ones

• VA Resources for Health Care Providers

A Caregivers Journey with Palliative Care 3-minute video

A moving caregiver’s testimony about her and her husband’s cancer journey and palliative care. Living on Maui, Andrea talks story about how they accessed palliative care in Honolulu and at home (This shortened version is thanks to the editing suggestions of our Kōkua Mau volunteer extraordinaire Rachel.) Watch the video on our YouTube Channel.

Join or renew your membership now

Thank You supporters and members for keeping Kōkua Mau strong and serving our community. Since 1999, Kōkua Mau has been a voice for outstanding care and services in Hawaiʻi supporting those with serious illness, their loved ones and those who care for them. 

Now is a great time in 2022 to renew your membership or join Kōkua Mau as a first-time member. Your support is what makes Kōkua Mau possible. We thank you for being part of our movement to improve care. Wondering when your membership runs out? Just send Jeannette an email and she can let you know. 

Membership of individuals and organizations empower us to do our work. Your financial support is crucial: we raise every penny we spend (with your help). Our Organizational and Individual members supporting us are listed on our website.

5 easy options to support us

We have a rolling membership system so if you join now, your membership will last for the next 12 months. Click here for membership levels

1. Donate with PayPal Giving Fund and 100% goes to Kōkua Mau with a few clicks. Click here for the dedicated PayPal link
2. Go online using Network for Good and donate with a credit card. You can set up a monthly recurring donation, by spreading payments out throughout the year and making it easier for us to plan.
3. Through Aloha United Way – Designation Code 80410
4. Benevity – please check if your employer (like United HealthCare) offers matching donations through the Benevity platform. 
5. A check in the US postal mail – 3 steps:

• One: Payable to ‘Kōkua Mau‘ with ‘membership‘ in the memo field
• Two: Address to: Kōkua Mau • PO Box 62155 • Honolulu HI 96839
• Three: Stick on a stamp and put in the mailbox

St. Francis Healthcare System Appoints Melissa Ah Ho-Mauga Interim CEO

The St. Francis Healthcare System board of directors unanimously voted in favor of her appointment, following the sudden, unexpected loss of Jerry Correa, who had been president and CEO of St. Francis Healthcare System for the past decade. Correa, 58, who was the healthcare system’s first lay leader, passed away on Oct. 27, 2022, and is survived by his wife Mari-Jo, three sons and two grandsons. “Jerry had an unwavering commitment to the Sisters of St. Francis and the mission of St. Francis Healthcare System,” said Glenn Sueyoshi, chair of the St. Francis Healthcare System board of directors. “He was the consummate leader with a strong sense of compassion for families in need and a desire to provide services to meet their needs, all while keeping a keen eye on financial sustainability.”

“Melissa was a close advisor of Jerry and has the same heart of compassion, understands the importance of St. Francis Healthcare System’s mission, consistently leads with integrity, and is well respected by employees at all levels within St. Francis,” Sueyoshi added.

Ah Ho-Mauga has been with St. Francis for a total of nearly 20 years and has been vice president–client services for St. Francis since 2015. She oversees the majority of St. Francis Healthcare System’s services and programs, including hospice care, care coordination, adult day care, in-home bathing and personal care services, preschool, transportation, the business office, marketing, advertising and public relations, and developing new, grant-funded programs.

She had previously served as director of revenue management from 2007 to 2015, and as director of business services from 2004 to 2005. She holds an MBA from Chaminade University of Honolulu and a bachelor of social sciences degree with a concentration in psychology and sociology from the University of Hawaii-West Oahu.

Community News

We want to salute our own Dr. Libby Char who was named the Public Health Healthcare Hero. Libby has been a long time supporter of Kōkua Mau and serves on the POLST Task Force. Here is the link to the whole healthcare hero award listing, which includes links to the videos.

Congratulations to Shelley Johnstone, Continuing care Nurse at Kaiser for being named a Healthcare Hero for 2022 by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii. You can watch a video with Shelley and the family that she helped including enrolling in hospice

Congratulations to Dr. Melanie Payanal, Medical Director at St. Francis Hospice, for completing her Hospice Medical Director Certification.  

Serious Illness Messaging Toolkit

The webinar Messaging Principles for Serious Illness Care launching the toolkit with Dr. Anthony Back and Marian Grant is now available as a recording.

They built this toolkit because they want to change how the public views serious illness care - so that more people experience the benefits of our work. Based on empirical research and decades of experience, they’ve developed resources that can help any health communicator effectively write content and hold positive conversations with the general public about the benefits of advance care planning, palliative care, and hospice.

PAs can now sign POLST in Hawaiʻi 

We just learned that Physician Assistants are able to sign POLST in Hawaiʻi. In the coming months, we will be updating forms and educational materials but here are the details for the time being. All POLST forms are still valid.

The information is from the Hawaii Academy of Physician Assistants:

Act 293 (HB1575 HD2 SB2) was signed into law on July 12, 2022. Among other expansions to physician assistant (PA) scope of practice, Act 293 amends Hawaii Revised Statutes 327K-1 and 327K-3 to include PAs as providers.

In doing so, Act 293 adds PAs to physicians and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) as providers authorized to execute a POLST in Hawai'i. Hawai'i is now the 33rd state to allow PAs to sign a POLST. For more information about PA practice in Hawaiʻi, please visit the Hawaii Academy of PAs.

Wed 11/16 Advance Care Planning Clinic Classes

This class is offered for physicians, nurses, social workers and other clinicians. It promotes ACP introductions and will review key elements and processes related to ACP, Advance Directives and POLST in the clinic.

Course Objectives:

1. Apply ACP resources to promote advance care planning discussions.
2. Promote patients’ knowledge of advance directives including healthcare power of attorney designation.
3. Describe the differences between an Advance Directive and Provider Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and implement correct documentation of these documents.
4. Implement and standardize ACP processes in the clinic.
5. Identify the Hawai‘i requirements of Medical Aid in Dying, Our Care, Our Choice Act.

First Insurance Center (FIC)

862 South Beretania Street, FIC 980

Honolulu

Registrations are limited. Indoor mask mandate is still required

HPH Employees: Manager’s Approval is required prior to registering AND register online through the HPH Learning Center (HLC). Type in the Catalog: ACP; Select Course: HPH – Advance Care Planning (ACP) Clinic Class.

Non-HPH Participants: Register by emailing Michelle Cantillo, RN, HPH ACP Coordinator at michelle.cantillo@hawaiipacifichealth.org.

Thur 11/17 Cancer Survivor’s and Caregiver’s Conference: Hope. A Gift of Life

Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, community health workers, or those interested in learning more about cancer survivorship and caregiving can join for a day of learning, sharing, and celebrating.

Thur Nov 17, 2022

8:00 a.m. – Registration and Exhibitor Tables Open

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Conference

Hawaii Convention Center, Room 311

1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815

There is no admission fee. Parking and lunch will be provided to all registered attendees.

Neighbor Island Travel Scholarships are available. Register for details.

Questions? Call Christina Teel at (808) 692-7449 or e-mail christina.teel@doh.hawaii.gov

Fri 12/2 2022 NIH, National Institute on Aging Director's Regional Meeting

The NIA Regional Director’s Meeting will provide researchers, faculty, clinicians, and students with information about NIA Leadership and Career Development/Training Award Opportunities. 

Fri, Dec 2

9:30 - 1:00 pm HST

For more information and to register, please visit go.hawaii.edu/2Wb

Aloha Judy Thomas and happy retirement!

After 24 years of outstanding leadership as CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, Judy Thomas will be retiring. CCCC is a sister organization to Kōkua Mau, having started at the same time 22 years ago, and we have enjoyed a strong partnership over the years. We wish Judy happy trails in her retirement and thank her for her years of dedication to improving care for those with serious illness in California and the rest of the US. You can read more about Judy on their webpage  

Jennifer Moore Ballentine, another long time colleague and friend of Kōkua Mau, will be taking over CCCC leadership. Jennifer is currently running CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care

Pōhai Mālama Care Center (Hilo) Takes a Tactical Pause

We are sharing this news from our member Hawaii Care Choices: Pōhai Mālama Care Center (in Hilo Hawaiʻi) will pause all inpatient hospice care operations beginning on November 18, 2022. Hawaii Care Choices remains open and continues to offer all services. Details on their website.

Recording of Palliative Care: Choices and Personal Preferences

A recording of Palliative Care: Choices and Personal Preferences with our own Kōkua Mau member Dr. Geoff Galbraith is now available. Please click HERE to access the recording and download the presentation for your reference.

The is part of the excellent 2022 Pacific Cancer Project ECHO series, which covers a wide range of topics. Kōkua Mau has been collaborating for the ECHO series focusing no the Pacific for cover 10 years. If you would like to participate in future Pacific Cancer ECHO series, please Register in advance to join.  These ECHO sessions are free and open to all. 

Prognostication and Palliative Care - recording available

If you missed Dr. Daniel Fischbergʻs presentation on Prognostication, please watch the recording. Estimating and communicating prognosis, while often challenging, is often an essential part of care for those living with serious illness. Patients, family members, and providers, all need good prognostic information on which to base important decisions.

Grief, Guilt and Men - Dr. Baugher spoke in Hawai'i

If you missed the September 2022 Bereavement Network of Hawaiiʻs (BNOH) quarterly training with Dr. Bob Baugher in a useful and information session on speaking about guilt and grief, you can now watch the recording. 

LymphaCare Hawaii advocates for cancer survivors who develop lymphedema on our YouTube channel

Louise Tanswell (Ellie) RN LMT CLT-LANA and Rocky Lee, Breast Cancer Survivor from LymphaCare Hawaii presented at our August 2022 Kōkua Mau monthly meeting. Watch the video

LymphaCare Hawaii advocates for cancer survivors who develop lymphedema (LE). These survivors are often “the forgotten ones” who suffer in silence, because their medical team is not taking their symptoms seriously. Watch the video and take a closer look at the problem and how LymphaCare is taking action to help!

New Resources to Help Clinicians Cope With Moral Distress, Grief, and Trauma-Emotional PPE

The challenges of working in the U.S. health care system have been an existential threat to clinician well-being for years. The pandemic has only exacerbated the pressures health care workers face.

CAPC's new Emotional PPE toolkit provides resources that clinicians and teams can use to support well-being. Most resources in this toolkit are open to all.

What's in the toolkit?

• Whether you have 5 minutes or 60 minutes, there are tools, activities, videos, and practices to help bridge the gap if you are struggling
• Wellness planning resources for team leaders to cultivate safety and advocate for change
• Articles and research on Emotional PPE
• Relevant CAPC events