With a tradition of compassionate care and respect for human dignity, Catholic health care ministries have a moral imperative to provide excellent care for those approaching the end of life.  Members of Supportive Care Coalition have joined together to make visible their commitment to provision of excellent palliative care and to assist one another as we work toward this essential goal.  You and your ministry are invited to join us in this effort to make Catholic health care the exemplar of the best in palliative care.

Here’s a sampling of what membership in the Coalition can bring to your ministry:

Knowledge Transfer

• National congresses featuring successful palliative care programs and distinguished faculty, and including teachings on the Catholic tradition of care at the end of life that inspire and renew caregivers
•  “How to” information on fostering palliative care services within your organization
• Supportive Voice newsletter, E-news and Web site www.SupportiveCareCoalition.org with palliative care resources, assessment tools, essays and articles on palliative care and palliative care programs, news and information on conferences, resources, and publications

Advocacy 

• Assistance in working on state and federal legislation affecting palliative care and end-of-life care services
• Guidance on strategies to address issues raised by the assisted suicide movement
• Practical ideas for building support for palliative care services within your ministry

Partnership

• Access to organizations like The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health to develop demonstration projects promoting excellence in palliative care 
• Collaboration with organizations such as the American Academy of Nursing and the Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care to bring innovative education to physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains at reduced cost
• Opportunities to expand palliative care services into the community through programs such as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s parish based Community Model Project and the Coalition’s CALL Care Project