Religion. Healthcare Policy. Do the Twain Meet?

How religion may affect healthcare policy: some history and an example

THIS PROGRAM IS SOLD OUT. Audio and video recordings of the lecture will be available after July 8.

Celebrating with Frontliners

Nurses
Chaplains
Social Workers
Allied Professional Caregivers

September 8, 2009
6-8 pm

JC Nichols Auditorium in the Liberty Memorial
100 West 26th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108

The Center for Practical Bioethics honors frontline caregivers who personify the values of respect for the dignity of others, ethical discourse, compassion, social justice, and professional competence with Frontline Action Awards.

Honorary Co-chairs: Helen Emmott, Dianne Shumaker, Karren King Crouch and Jane Rues.

Program and Entertainment: Hob Osterlund, RN, is a palliative care nurse at Queens Memorial Hospital in Honolulu and a nationally known humorist. She brings her character, Ivy Push, RN, to life and will add both depth and laughter to the program.

For more information and sponsorship and nomination forms, click here.

Podcast: The Bioethics Channel

Health Reform & End of Life Care

Myra Christopher
Christian Sinclair, MD

July 2, 2009
15 minutes 32 seconds

President Barack Obama says he does not want to see bureaucracies making end of life decisions. Meanwhile, measures are being filed in Congress to address various aspects of end of life care.

Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center for Practical Bioethics, and Christian Sinclair, MD, of Kansas City Hospice talk about the President’s remarks and proposed legislative approaches to end of life care in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Blog: Practical Bioethics

Is healthcare an American “right”?

Art Caplan thinks so in a column on MSNBC.com. But a survey shows more than 55% disagree with the good doctor Caplan.

15th Annual Rosemary Flanigan Lecture

The Role of Conscience in Medical Decisions

Daniel Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD
University of Chicago

Thursday Evening, August 6, 2009

6:00 Reception

6:45 Formal Announcement - the first holder of Rosemary Flanigan
Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics

7:00 Lecture

Location: St. Joseph Medical Center

Alex George Auditorium, Building D
1000 Carondelet Drive
Kansas City, Missouri

Registration is required for this free event. Please contact Donna Blackwood at dblackwood@PracticalBioethics.org, 816.979.1352, or register online by clicking here.

In the News

Dissolution of bioethics council is a loss for America
Commentary
Colleen Carroll Campbell
St. Louis Post Dispatch
July 2, 2009

Ensuring uniformity of thought among one's ethical advisers may make the president's job easier, but it will do little to benefit the diverse nation that he serves.

AMA meeting: Doctors get to see how ethics bar is set
Kevin B. O'Reilly
American Medical News
June 29, 2009

The program, open only to doctors, is unique in that it gears its offerings toward the pragmatic concerns of practicing physicians who take on responsibilities related to ethics.

Area efforts to hold down health costs a template for success elsewhere
Alan Bavley
Kansas City Star
June 28, 2009

Hospice care, which is designed to comfort rather than cure terminally ill patients, is “the gold standard of end-of-life care,” said Myra Christopher, president of the Center for Practical Bioethics. “The concept that more is better is just wrong,” Christopher said. “Yes, modern technology can result in miracles, but not when it’s applied indiscriminately.”

Ethical Issues in Governing Biobanks: Global Perspectives
Journal of the American Medical Association
June 24, 2009

Many nations are now establishing large population-based biobanks and associated human genetic research databases that combine genetic information derived from biological samples with personal data about environment, medical history, lifestyle, or genealogy. There have been few texts dedicated to the regulatory issues posed by biobanks.

Missouri Needs a Dose of Collaboration to Cure Health Care Ills
Lowell Kruse
Ingram’s Magazine
June 2009

Just as doctors alone can’t cure an epidemic, it will take leaders in health care, education and business working together to address the declining health status of our citizens and our ability to care for them.

Code status discussions and goals of care among hospitalised adults
Journal of Medical Ethics
June 2009

Code status discussions may fail to address patients’ treatment-related goals and their knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed to investigate patients’ resuscitation preferences, knowledge of CPR and goals of care.

Link: Pallimed blog, June 23