St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, MI, was awarded a 2006 Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in End-of-Life Care, on July 14. 

A member of Trinity Health, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland was honored for its palliative care program that has changed the standard of care and culture of the entire hospital—pain and suffering in any form is not acceptable.

Broad in scope, the palliative care program includes inpatient care, outpatient clinic, chronic pain control, home care bridge program and sickle-cell social support.  With the full participation of staff and leadership, the hospital’s work in palliative care expands and breaks new ground continually.  Examples of innovation include a perinatal program for early miscarriages and a stroke care model that includes palliative care.  The facility also provides extensive assistance to other hospitals (including competitors) wishing to develop palliative care programs. 

The two other recipients honored were Continuum Hospice Care in New York, NY and Fairview Health Services in Minneapolis. MN.  Awardees also received $10,000 to further their work.

“The Circle of Life Award celebrates programs across the nation that have made great strides in palliative and end-of-life care,” said AHA President Dick Davidson.  “These programs share overriding themes of compassion and dedication and find new ways to expand the reach of palliative and hospice services and to help mesh traditional medical care with good end-of-life care. They provide excellent models any community can adapt.”

This is the seventh year for the Circle of Life Award.  The awards, supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, are sponsored by the American Hospital Association in conjunction with the American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

Applications for the 2007 award are being accepted through August 14, 2006. 
To nominate a program, http://www.aha.org/aha/awards-events/circle_of_life/awards.jsp
To download an application, http://www.aha.org/aha/awards-events/circle_of_life/cofapplication.html