Webinar Series: Palliative Care Across Cultures

This webinar series will feature keynote speakers, panels and some complicated case studies to examine ways that inequity impacts palliative care patients and learn how to promote health equity on our teams or at the institutional level. Case studies will illustrate how our cultural identities and belief systems influence how we interact and engage with the patients and families we serve, and also examine how these elements impact family decision making when facing serious illness or death or after death care.

Together we will investigate how the medical model’s “culture” can impact how patients and families make medical decisions at the end-of-life, explore the importance of understanding and respecting culture at the end-of-life.

Each webinar will include time for Q&A.

Register for each webinar series event separately at the links below.  

Up to 9 hours of CME credits available.  Participants will receive credit for each session attended.  See Accreditation Statement below.

WEBINAR #1: Cross Cultural Palliative Care: Finding Alignment and Tools - Dr. Jody Waldron, September 24, 2020, 9:00-10:30 am

Underserved communities often underutilize hospice and Palliative Care services at end-of-life. This session will discuss some of the cultural barriers to Palliative Care using cases from various immigrant and refugee communities. We will also highlight how common local approaches to end of life discussions and care may be rooted in Western or Eurocentric values in ways that are often taken for granted by practitioners.  We will discuss ways to reduce this bias, build rapport and alignment in these communities, and provide culturally specific end of life care to this growing population of patients in need. At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize how some commonly accepted practice fundamentals of Palliative Care may be culturally specific

2. Identify potential sources of conflict and marginalization as Palliative Care is provided cross-culturally

3. Engage collaboratively with patients and families from certain refugee communities re: Palliative Care

4. Develop methods for approaching cross cultural end of life cases which may reduce conflict and promote alignment and patient centered care. 

 

WEBINAR #2:  Providing Culturally Relevant Palliative Care Systematically as a Community - Gurpreet Dhillon, MBA, October 6, 2020, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Approaching Palliative Care as a community system with many layers and stakeholders.  This session will explore what the Palliative Care system in our community looks like, what is working really well, and where do we have opportunities to further develop. On completion of this webinar participants should be able to:

1.    Explain the various types of Palliative Care services available in our community today 

2.    Describe the importance of collaboration and communication as a part of delivering effective Palliative Care

3.    Examine the business model for Palliative Care in the healthcare system

4.    Explore how you or your organization support the Palliative Care system approach

 

WEBINAR #3: PANEL: Case Studies in Cultural Aspects of Care, Dr. Devyani Chandran, moderator, October 7, 2020, 2:30-4:00 pm

In this Webinar,  panel will respond to case studies from varied cultural and spiritual perspectives, exploring how different communities and families may respond to differently to the same end of life challenges.

Panelists include:  

 

Jenna Bowman, MSPS, MSCJ, PhDc.  Bowman is a member of the Tulalip/Yakama tribes and is the Washington State Tribal Liaison for UnitedHealthcare- Community Plan.

Australia Hernández Cosby, MS, Promotora at Community to Community Development

Geraldine Reitz, MA, Hospital chaplain at PeaceHealth Saint Joseph Medical Center

 

Webinar #4  - From Alleviation to Action:  Health Equity and Palliative Care, Dr. Tracey Ng, October 19, 2:30-4:00 pm

Our own cultural identities and belief systems impact how we interact and engage with the patients and families we serve. This session will explore how unconscious bias and racism can impact health equity in palliative care.  On completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify at least 3 ways that inequity impacts palliative care patients
2. Discuss 3 unique challenges and opportunities in addressing health equity in palliative care
3. Identify 3 actions providers can take to promote health equity for their patients
4. Identify 3 actions providers can take to promote health equity on their teams or at the institutional level

Webinar #5 - Caring Across Cultures – The values and voices of immigrant caregivers, Marinel Kniseley, MA, October 29, 2020. 3:00-4:00 pm

An exploration of the values and perspectives that caregivers from Mexicana background bring to caregiving roles and the challenges of providing care across cultural identities.On completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Examine the disconnect between mainstream culture and care needs of elders in our community
2. Discuss how caregivers can be supported to express their cultural values and knowledge in their work to the benefit of the patient
3. Identify specific challenges faced by immigrant or first-generation caregivers
4. Identify strategies to improve retention of caregivers in these roles

 

Webinar #6   Immigrants and Undocumented – Challenges of Healthcare Access, Dr. Devyani Chandran, November 5, 2020, 10:00-11:00 am

Undocumented individuals face several challenges in accessing end of life care. This session will explore several of these challenges. At the end of this session participants should be able to:

1. Explain individual barriers to care for undocumented individuals
2. Examine structural barriers to accessing care (for example, low rates of enrollment in hospice) that negatively impact the end of life experience of undocumented individuals.
3. Explore cultural beliefs that may impact decision making for this population
4. Explain why undocumented individuals may find it harder than citizens or documented individuals to engage in advance care planning

 

Accreditation Statement:

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements of the Washington State Medical Association through the joint providership of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and Western Washington University. PeaceHealth St. Joseph is accredited by the WSMA to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph designates this live internet activity for a maximum of 9 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity meets the criteria for up to 9 hours of Category I CME credit to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

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