On October 12, 2006, 25 people representing eight CAPH member hospitals and interested stakeholders convened at the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) to learn about developing palliative care programs in California’s county hospitals. Palliative care is an emerging field that expertly manages pain and other symptoms while supporting those facing terminal illnesses. In addition to compelling statistics on improved patient care and family satisfaction, it has been demonstrated that palliative care programs enhance performance for hospitals by reducing costs, freeing up beds, and improving staff satisfaction.

Among the topics covered were: “Palliative Care 101,” building the case for palliative care in public hospitals, staffing models, financing palliative care, addressing language and cultural issues, challenges and opportunities specific to county hospitals, best practices, and potential ways to collaborate. Resources for those who did or did not attend include:

• Notes and Powerpoint presentations from the convening, including:
  - Summary of Notes
  - California HealthCare Foundation Overview Presentation
  - Alameda County Medical Center Program Presentation
  - Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Program Presentation
  - List of Attendees
• The Palliative Care Leadership Centers SM (PCLC), based at UCSF, offers training and mentoring to help hospitals start or expand a palliative care program. This program generously waives the training fee for county hospitals that want to enroll: http://www.capc.org/palliative-care-leadership-initiative/.
• A free audio conference, sponsored by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), will be held Dec. 7 from 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. An Open Forum with the Palliative Care Leadership Centers (PCLC) will feature CAPC Director Diane Meier, M.D., and PCLC faculty. After a short presentation, the call will be devoted to answering questions on topics such as moving palliative care programs to the next level; increasing early referrals; learning the eight essential elements of palliative care program development; and building a business case for CFOs and other key stakeholders. To register, visit the CAPC website at www.capc.org/support-from-capc/audio-conf/12-07-06. Contact: Judy Citko, (916) 552-7573, jcitko@calhospital.org.
• A DVD entitled “Pain Management/End-of-Life Care from the Kaiser Permanente CME department. The package of 3 videoconferences fulfills three hours of the required 12 education hours in Pain Management and End-of-Life Care CME for clinicians. If you are interested in a copy, please contact Norma Batongbacal at nbatongbacal@caph.org.