W;t, chronicles one woman’s journey at the end of life. The play, which is now on tour, will be at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. On March 9, ABCD and its co-sponsors will host an evening at W;t - special guests will include approximately 200 Washington policymakers, who will be joined by an equal number of paying guests.
The Hospice and Palliative Care of Metropolitan Washington (which is sharing in all the hard work and financial risk), The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Cancer Institute, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are cosponsors.
During a pre-show reception, a few key leaders will give brief comments, noting their perspective on improving end-of-life care. All will attend the play, in which a middle-aged woman confronts the problems of lethal illness and dysfunctional care, but ultimately finds her way to a worthy end of life. Afterwards, all are invited to attend a panel discussion of the play and the issues it raises. The panel will include the play’s star, Judith Light, as well as Neal MacDonald and me (and one or two others who can speak to the issues). Our goal for this evening is to enlighten many people as to the importance of better care of the dying, and demonstrate the role of federal policies in shaping the shortcomings of current care.
If you would like to come, contact ABCD right away. Tickets are $150 - and they are going quickly. E-mail your interest to dmi@gwu.edu or call us at 202-467-2222 or 202.530.9864.
The following month, another exciting event will occur on Sunday, April 9. ABCD staff are working with their counterparts at the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology to present a workshop on policy issues in heart failure. This will be a pre-conference seminar for a meeting of researchers concerned with quality of life in heart failure and stroke. (For a summary of problems in end-of-life care and advanced heart failure, see the overview on page 11.)
At the April meeting we will present important data, test our perceptions with a panel of experts, and brainstorm responsible actions to undertake. In the course of this meeting - and in coming months - we aim to develop an agenda for professional and public citizen groups, as well as a research agenda.
Again, all ABCD members are welcome to attend this program, currently scheduled for the Omni Shoreham near Rock Creek Park. There will be a small charge, and advance registration is encouraged, as the symposium room has limited seating. Again, if interested, contact David Introcaso. Background materials will be sent on request.
I expect to learn a great deal from both of these events - about arts and insights, about policymakers and politics, and about how to engineer responsible change. I hope many of our members and readers will join in!
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