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2021 Annual Special Edition Newsletter |
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Honoring Choices Partners |
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Here’s our 9th
Annual Thank You Partners special edition newsletter. It shares useful tools, video & events from just some the Honoring Choices MA (HCM) Partners. 2021 focused on advancing health equity and elevating the voice of consumers and front-line health care staff. A wholehearted thank you to the thousands of HCM Partners for your tireless, innovative work.
Most gratefully, Ellen
Ellen DiPaola, President & CEO
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Welcome Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care |
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We are excited to welcome Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care (BILHPC) as an Honoring Choices Community Partner. BILHPC is the first major primary care organization partnering with Honoring Choices to routinely engage their patients in early, high quality care planning conversations.
BILHPC Medical Assistants and other front line staff recently became Health Care Planning Ambassadors to confidently open simple planning conversations with each patient to complete a Health Care Proxy. We look forward to working with everyone on the BILHPC care teams to support their work in providing timely quality care to their patients.
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Elevating the Voice & Value of Home Care Aides |
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NEW VIDEO: LifePath, has just released an important video "Reimaging Care: A LifePath Call to Action," to better understand and
credit the work of home care workers who help adults stay safety in their
homes. The video explores the current workforce crisis and much needed solutions. Thanks for Barbara Bodzin, Executive Director, for spearheading this call to action. See video.
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Advancing Asian Women’s Health and Wellness |
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Asian Women for Health is a peer-led, community-based
network building access to care that is culturally appropriate and
high quality, and inspires women of all ages to live happy, healthy lives. They offer events and extensive resources including the HCM tools through their
online community. Thanks to Chien-Chi Huang, Executive Directive, for our partnership and lending her voice to the HCM Consumer Health Equity Advisory Group. December 21 Virtual Holiday Party, RSVP here.
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PACE Helping Older Adults Stay in the Community |
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Welcome Harbor Health, Elder Service Plan (PACE) Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly as an HCM Alliance Partner. PACE is a state and federally funded program for adults 55 and older that works as a nursing home alternative for older adults with complex health needs. Thanks to Kerry Conlon, CDP, and the PACE team for helping adults get needed care to live safety in their community. Read more.
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The
Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), which serves as the
united voice for hospitals and health systems across the commonwealth, in 2021
released its landmark Caring
for the Caregiver report, as well as its “After the Hospital” guide
to help patients and providers navigate the post-acute journey. “MHA and
our members are proud of our longstanding partnership with Honoring Choices, as
we work together to place informed decision-making at the center of the patient
experience,” said MHA Senior Manager of Clinical Affairs Kim Stevenson. Thanks to all Kim, Pat Noga, and all at MHA for our 10 year partnership!
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I Have a Health Care Proxy. Make your own wallet card! |
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Adults who have completed a Health Care Proxy document can make this handy wallet card to use in case of a medical emergency. The wallet card helps emergency personnel quickly contact your Health Care Agent and Alternative Agent. Your Agent can make timely health care decisions on your behalf and advocate for the care you want.
Easy To Do. Download and print the wallet card instructions here Just cut, fold and fill out the card, and store in your wallet Available in 4 languages.
Want to Complete a Health Care Proxy? Download and print a do-it-yourself document. Available in 14 languages.
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Preparing Care Teams for Meaningful Conversations |
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"Springwell is so thankful for our partnership with Honoring Choices," says Matthew Crosson, LCSW, SCO/One Care Program Manager. Staff members are trained as Health Care Planning Ambassadors, engaging adults in on-going planning conversations using the Getting Started and Next Steps Tool Kits. "We are especially grateful for the resources provided in multiple languages as we support a diverse populations and having conversations in a person-centered manner." It's been our pleasure to work with this dedicated team.
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Palliative Care for All! |
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We are thrilled to welcome the Central and Southeast Massachusetts Palliative Care Workgroups as HCM Partners. “Our multi-disciplined workgroups are focused on ways to embed palliative care as a standard practice in serious illness care for all," says Margaret Franckhauser, MS, MPH, RN. Director Aging Services, JSI/CHI, "with increased attention to cultural awareness and outreach.” Contact Ms. Franckhauser to learn more and join the group, at margaret_franckhauser@jsi.com See HCM Palliative Care tools here.
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Language as an Asset to Advance Health Equity |
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Special thanks to Joanne Calista, Executive Director, Center for Health Impact (CHI), celebrating 9 years as HCM Partner, and the extraordinary CHI translation team for translating the HCM planning documents & tools into 14 languages, significantly dismantling language barriers across the Commonwealth. We also appreciate CHI's powerful support of Community Health Workers, providing them with practical tools and knowledge to reduce health disparities across race, language and culture, and helping adults achieve better health outcomes.
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Transformative Change of Long-Term Care & Services |
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Established virtually at the onset of the pandemic, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts has connected several hundred advocates throughout the state dedicated to the systemic transformation of all forms of long-term services, support, and care to ensure the dignity of older adults, persons with disabilities, and caregivers while respecting choice and self-determination. Dignity Alliance works through legislation, regulatory reform, and legal strategies at the state and federal levels to realize this vision. Honoring Choices is delighted to be a partner and support your work. Read more.
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Dr. Kady Goldlist Talks about Care Planning |
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Dr. Kady Goldlist, Geriatrician, Quimby Center at Mount Auburn Hospital, offers regular virtual health education talks to adults in her community. We were excited to collaborate with Dr. Goldlist to offer a free joint webinar, “Honoring Choices and Advance Care Planning”. Thanks to HCM Partner, Anne-Marie Gagnon, Watertown Council on Aging, for bringing us all together for an informative conversation.
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Welcome India Association of Greater Boston |
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We welcome the India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) as an HCM Partner, to exchange ideas, learn about the needs of seniors, and share tools with the Indian American community. Thanks to Sutanuka Basu, Executive Director, for inviting us back to participate in IAGB's second Senior Fest celebration. Ms. Basu is also lending her voice to the HCM Consumer Health Equity Advisory Group.
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Consumers: Take Control, Drive Change, Take Action! |
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Consumers are raising their voice and lending their knowledge and experience to drive the agenda to make meaningful change! The Honoring Choices MA Consumer Health Equity Advisory Group is on the move to advance health equity in the Commonwealth. Consumers, community advocates and groups are working together to elevate the consumer voice, identify barriers to access timely equitable care, and inform and guide policies and programs. Come Join Us! Read more.
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Improving Language Access to Make a Plan |
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We thank Baystate Health, Springfield, for their leadership in expanding language access for adults in their community, and sharing it across the Commonwealth. Tim Moriarty, MPA, CHI-Spanish Manager, Interpreter & Translation Services helped sponsor the translation of the Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy into three additional languages: Swahili, Nepali and Tagalog. We are so grateful to work together to offer linguistically appropriate documents to improve culturally competent planning conversations.
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Tools for Seamless Conversations |
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Over 400 multi-disciplined health care providers participated in our Engaging Adults in Seamless Conversations from Simple to Serious Illness Webinar. At the height of the pandemic and all through 2021, this popular webinar helped care teams confidently start proactive planning conversations with their patients. Care teams learned how to start simple planning conversations using the HCM Getting Started Tool Kit, and flow easily into serious illness care and what matters most conversations using the Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversation Guides. Thank you to all at Ariadne Labs for our continued partnership.
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Coming Soon ... The Improved POLST Program |
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Massachusetts is soon to join Maine and New Hampshire and other states in adopting the National POLST Program (Portable Medical Orders). The MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs is working diligently to transition from the paper MOLST form to an evidence-based National POLST Program. The MA POLST Program will include an improved implementation process, a new National POLST form, and an ePOLST registry. Honoring Choices is one of the state representatives to National POLST, chairing the Patient-Consumer Education Workgroup. Learn more and download tools at:
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Thank you all! May the wonder of the season bring you joy and a well earned respite. |
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