Two Dec 1 2022 Events

Thank you to all of our amazing health care professionals and your incredible contributions to caring for our community

Aloha Jeannette,


Tomorrow, December 1, we have two events:


3:00-5:00 PM:

Join us on zoom for our Dec 1 Kōkua Mau meeting:

"Psychedelic Medicine & Palliative Care: An Exploration of Old and Ancient Therapies To Address Twenty-First Century Clinical Challenges by Dr. Ilan Bernstein. Details below.


6-8:30 PM:

Join us on zoom or in Person for World AIDS Day 2022.

Kōkua Mau News

Thur 12/1 Kōkua Mau Meeting


Please join us on December 1st for a talk by our special guest Dr. Ilan Bernstein titled "Psychedelic Medicine & Palliative Care: An Exploration of Old and Ancient Therapies To Address Twenty-First Century Clinical Challenges.


Thur Dec 1, 2022

3:00-5:00 PM (HST)


Register in advance for the December monthly meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the zoom meeting.


Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an investigational treatment for a number of mental health conditions which has gained a growing interest across a variety of settings and disciplines.


Dr. Ilan Bernstein joined the Pain and Palliative Care Dept at the Queen’s Medical Center as a staff physician in 2013. Dr. Bernstein graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2008 and is currently board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is an assistant clinical professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at JABSOM. Dr. Bernstein is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.


If you are interested in reading more about psilosybin and serious illness care, here is an article by Dr. Ira Byock on the CAP website. Additionally, Dr. Bernstein was a co-author on an journal article Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians should know about Psychedelic-Assisted therapy in the context of serious illness.


Join our monthly Kōkua Mau Meeting to network with colleagues, share your updates and hear about what is happening across the state to improve care for those with serious illness. 


If you have announcements to share, please let Jeannette know!!!

Thur 12/1 World AIDS Day


World AIDS Day 2022: a hybrid meeting hosted by Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Avenue.


Thur Dec 1

6-8:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting


After 2 years of zoom only we are excited to announce the hybrid event starting at 6 PM with music, hula and the Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award 2022. For the final program visit the website World AIDS Day Hawai'i


For those who will be able to attend in person: a reception in Weaver Hall with pupus and entertainment will follow. Hawaii panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and other local artists will also be represented. 


Kōkua Mau is proud to be a sponsor of this event. 

Join, renew or increase your membership now


Thank You supporters and members for keeping Kōkua Mau strong and serving our community. Since 1999, Kōkua Mau has been a trusted voice for outstanding care and services in Hawaiʻi, supporting those with serious illness, their loved ones and those who care for them. 


Now is a great time to support Kōkua Mau. As an independent non-profit, over 80% of our budget comes from generous membership of organizations and people like you.


We have a rolling membership system so if you join now, your membership will last for the next 12 months. Wondering when your membership runs out? Just send Jeannette an email and she can let you know. Click here for membership levels.


Our Organizational and Individual members are listed on our website.


5 easy options to support us


  1. Donate with PayPal Giving Fund and 100% goes to Kōkua Mau with a few clicks. Click here for the dedicated PayPal link
  2. Go online using Network for Good and donate with a credit card. You can set up a monthly recurring donation, by spreading payments out throughout the year and making it easier for us to plan.
  3. Through Aloha United Way – Designation Code 80410
  4. Benevity – please check if your employer (like United HealthCare) offers matching donations through the Benevity platform. 
  5. check in the US postal mail – 3 steps:
  • One: Payable to ‘Kōkua Mau‘ with ‘membership‘ in the memo field
  • Two: Address to: Kōkua Mau • PO Box 62155 • Honolulu HI 96839
  • Three: Stick on a stamp and put in the mailbox

Tailored Advance Care Planning Training with Kōkua Mau


Are you interested in

  • Advance Care Planning training for your new staff?
  • A refresher for long time staff? 
  • Workplace wellness for employees?


Kōkua Mau is here to help you. We have recently done training with the Long Term Care Ombudsman volunteers, EUTF, Papa Ola Lōkahi Community Health workers, Zoom sessions with kupuna on Molokai, and in-person presentations with kupuna from Alu Like. 


Trainings with Papa Ola Lōkahi staff (staff only), Hawaii Public Health Institute Training Hui, AARP and more are in the works.


Recent trainings on Palliative Care with the Caregiver Foundation and the Cancer Coalition, gave us the unique opportunity to do trainings across the islands especially for those who are not able to travel. We are looking for other patient advocacy and support groups who want to learn more about palliative care so please contact us.


Let us know how we can work with you!!

VA Resources added on our Website


Thanks to Kōkua Mau board member Dr. Emese Somogyi we now have two resource pages dedicated to help professionals and their loved ones navigate the VA. 



A Caregivers Journey with Palliative Care 3-minute video


A moving caregiver’s testimony about her and her husband’s cancer journey and palliative care. Living on Maui, Andrea talks story about how they accessed palliative care in Honolulu and at home (This shortened version is thanks to the editing suggestions of our Kōkua Mau volunteer extraordinaire Rachel.) Watch the video on our YouTube Channel.

Events & Resources

It is with great sadness to share with you about the unexpected death of Jerry Correa, President and CEO of St. Francis Health Systems.  Our hearts go out to his wife, sons and the rest of his family on Kauaʻi.  More details will be forthcoming about a service and remembrance as Jerry made a huge impact in our community for many decades.  It has been an honor and privilege to work with him. Here is an interview that he did in August at the 95th anniversary of St. Francis. 


Rest in peace Jerry

St. Francis Healthcare System Appoints Melissa Ah Ho-Mauga Interim CEO


Melissa Ah Ho-Mauga is the Interim CEO for St. Francis Healthcare System. This was announced after the unexpected passing of Jerry Correa, who was President and CEO for the past ten years.


Ah Ho-Mauga has been Vice President–Client Services for St. Francis since 2015 and has worked for St. Francis for nearly 20 years.

Fri 12/2 2022 NIH, National Institute on Aging Director's Regional Meeting


The NIA Regional Director’s Meeting will provide researchers, faculty, clinicians, and students with information about NIA Leadership and Career Development/Training Award Opportunities. 


Fri, Dec 2

9:30 - 1:00 pm HST


For more information and to register, please visit go.hawaii.edu/2Wb

Sat 12/3 Hawaii Stroke Coalition Symposium


For health care providers, learn about current advances in stroke treatment and rehabilitation. Topics will include EMS and hospital communications for stroke, stroke in the pediatric patient, life after a stroke, and treatment of acute ischemic stroke.


Sat Dec 3, 2022

8 am-12 pm


In-person or webinar $25. List of speakers, CE information and registration

Community News


We want to salute our own Dr. Libby Char who was named the Public Health Healthcare Hero. Libby has been a long time supporter of Kōkua Mau and serves on the POLST Task Force. Here is the link to the whole healthcare hero award listing, which includes links to the videos.


Congratulations to Shelley Johnstone, Continuing care Nurse at Kaiser for being named a Healthcare Hero for 2022 by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii. You can watch a video with Shelley and the family that she helped including enrolling in hospice


Congratulations to Dr. Melanie Payanal, Medical Director at St. Francis Hospice, for completing her Hospice Medical Director Certification.  

PAs can now sign POLST in Hawaiʻi 


We just learned that Physician Assistants are able to sign POLST in Hawaiʻi. In the coming months, we will be updating forms and educational materials but here are the details for the time being. All POLST forms are still valid.


The information is from the Hawaii Academy of Physician Assistants:


Act 293 (HB1575 HD2 SB2) was signed into law on July 12, 2022. Among other expansions to physician assistant (PA) scope of practice, Act 293 amends Hawaii Revised Statutes 327K-1 and 327K-3 to include PAs as providers.


In doing so, Act 293 adds PAs to physicians and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) as providers authorized to execute a POLST in Hawai'i. Hawai'i is now the 33rd state to allow PAs to sign a POLST. For more information about PA practice in Hawaiʻi, please visit the Hawaii Academy of PAs.

  FROM PAST NEWSLETTERS  

Resource: Serious Illness Messaging Toolkit


seriousillnessmessaging.org focuses on Evidence-Based Messaging for Serious Illness Care. Capture public interest, bypass misconceptions, and increase demand for your services with better messaging.


The webinar Messaging Principles for Serious Illness Care launching the toolkit with Dr. Anthony Back and Marian Grant is now available as a recording.


They built this toolkit because they want to change how the public views serious illness care - so that more people experience the benefits of our work. Based on empirical research and decades of experience, they’ve developed resources that can help any health communicator effectively write content and hold positive conversations with the general public about the benefits of advance care planning, palliative care, and hospice.

Aloha Judy Thomas and happy retirement!


After 24 years of outstanding leadership as CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, Judy Thomas will be retiring. CCCC is a sister organization to Kōkua Mau, having started at the same time 22 years ago, and we have enjoyed a strong partnership over the years. We wish Judy happy trails in her retirement and thank her for her years of dedication to improving care for those with serious illness in California and the rest of the US. You can read more about Judy on their webpage  


Jennifer Moore Ballentine, another long time colleague and friend of Kōkua Mau, will be taking over CCCC leadership. Jennifer is currently running CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care

Pōhai Mālama Care Center (Hilo) Takes a Tactical Pause


We are sharing this news from our member Hawaii Care Choices: Pōhai Mālama Care Center (in Hilo Hawaiʻi) will pause all inpatient hospice care operations beginning on November 18, 2022. Hawaii Care Choices remains open and continues to offer all services. Details on their website.

Recording of Palliative Care: Choices and Personal Preferences


A recording of Palliative Care: Choices and Personal Preferences with our own Kōkua Mau member Dr. Geoff Galbraith is now available. Please click HERE to access the recording and download the presentation for your reference.


The is part of the excellent 2022 Pacific Cancer Project ECHO series, which covers a wide range of topics. Kōkua Mau has been collaborating for the ECHO series focusing no the Pacific for cover 10 years. If you would like to participate in future Pacific Cancer ECHO series, please Register in advance to join.  These ECHO sessions are free and open to all. 

Kōkua Mau on HPR's The Body Show

Palliative Care and Hospice was the topic on ʻThe Body Showʻ at HPR with Dr. Kathleen Kozak and yours truly Jeannette Koijane.


Advanced Care Directives and POLST with Hope Young our Advance Care Coordinator.

4th Wed - New online support space - Heavily Yours

Heavily Yours is a free online support group for people working with the dying and the dead. We will be gathering monthly


4th Wednesday of the month

4pm HST


All folks in deathcare are welcome! This means you, death doulas, funeral directors, hospice volunteers, palliative care folks, caretakers, etc. It is open to both medical and non-medical professionals, community workers, and volunteers.


You can reserve a spot at http://bitly.ws/rpYm. This support space is a collaboration between A Sacred Passing (Seattle) & Kaipuokaualoku (Honolulu).

4th Sunday - Free Medical Aid in Dying Bereavement Support Group

This support group is specifically for loved ones of those who have chosen Medical Aid in Dying in Hawaiʻi. Facilitated by Leilani Maxera, LCSW and Joy Rodriguez, End of Life Doula.


4th Sunday of the month

6PM over zoom (please note new 6 PM time)


Zoom from anywhere into a space held to process feelings created by the unique experience of walking beside someone who utilized Hawaiʻi’s Our Care, Our Choice Act.


To register please email joydrodriguez@yahoo.com or call (808) 853-0621


New Resources to Help Clinicians Cope With Moral Distress, Grief, and Trauma-Emotional PPE


The challenges of working in the U.S. health care system have been an existential threat to clinician well-being for years. The pandemic has only exacerbated the pressures health care workers face.


CAPC's new Emotional PPE toolkit provides resources that clinicians and teams can use to support well-being. Most resources in this toolkit are open to all.


What's in the toolkit?


  • Whether you have 5 minutes or 60 minutes, there are tools, activities, videos, and practices to help bridge the gap if you are struggling
  • Wellness planning resources for team leaders to cultivate safety and advocate for change
  • Articles and research on Emotional PPE
  • Relevant CAPC events
Our partner Pacific Health Ministry has Office Space Available

Office Space Available! Affordable and Convenient Office Space is available on Young Street near Piʻikoi and Keʻeaumoku Streets.

  • Air conditioned Building
  • Covered Parking

Please call Patricia Camero at Pacific Health Ministry: (808) 591-6556

New Resource: Audio Version of the Starter Guide
Our long time partner, the Conversation Project, has created audio versions of their Starter Guides. Subjects available on audio include: 


These guides are between 14-19 minutes long, and are a great alternative for individuals who prefer using audio tools. The audio guides are currently listed with the other guides.
KCC seeking Instructors for CNA classes
Kapiʻolani Community College is looking for instructors for their CNA classes. Requirements: RN for at least 2 years and Long Term Care background for at least 1 year. Contact Martin Chong, Health Education Program Coordinator at martincs@hawaii.edu or 808-734-9540.

Medicine meets microphones: Lessons in listening from StoryCorps and Providence. Recording available

The Humanizing Healthcare Expert Series session hosted by the Providence Institute for Human Caring, in collaboration with StoryCorps, the nation's oldest oral history project. "Medicine meets microphones: Lessons in listening from StoryCorps and Providence" Watch it on YouTube

Resource: Caring for People with Serious Illness
Caring for People with Serious Illness: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Proceedings of a Workshop.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing weaknesses in the United States health care system, while creating a new set of challenges related to caring for people with serious illness. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness hosted a three-part workshop to explore the initial responses to the pandemic. Download the PDF or read for free at The National Academies Press website.
Mrs. Jones Gave Me the ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment That Guided My Entire Nursing Career
As part of Oncology Nursing Society's (ONA) 'Storytelling: What Keeps Us Going' series Kōkua Mau's own Dr. Pat Nishimoto tells her amazing story Mrs. Jones Gave Me the ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment That Guided My Entire Nursing Career
Free Resource: Palliative Care Fast Facts
Are you getting this great free resource? Published every Friday by the Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin “Palliative Care Fast Facts" are edited by Sean Marks, MD; Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

With over 500 entries, they can be read on the web or downloaded as a PDF file, covering a wide range of topics including "How to help a patient choose a surrogate decision maker".

Other topics include:pain, non-pain symptoms, communication, prognosis, hospice, Palliative Care consultation, etc. You can see a complete listing and/or sign up at https://www.mypcnow.org/fast-facts/
Job Board - by Member Organizations

Please note: We post positions and career opportunities that have been submitted to us by our members, with the request to share them in our network, on our website and our newsletter.

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Hawai‘i Care Choices in Hilo, Hawai‘i is seeking a variety of experienced and compassionate professionals to provide the highest quality care and support for our patients and their loved ones. They offer an arry of benefits, a supportive work environment and seek to maintain an organizational culture that inspires and engages employees.


New resource: Generalist Palliative Care Resource Center
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) released "Essential Skills and Supports for All Clinicians Treating Serious Illness: Building Generalist Palliative Care Capabilities Across Services and Settings." This resource center captures key learnings from CHCF's two-phase initiative with California public health care systems to assess needs, plan, pilot, and evaluate generalist palliative care interventions in a variety of services lines (e.g., primary care, oncology, cardiology, emergency department, trauma surgery, and more.)

The resource center includes project profiles for each of the 9 public health care systems that participated in the implementation phase, with specifics of what they did, how they did it, and what they learned.
New Videos on our Kōkua Mau YouTube Channel

In case you missed our meetings or reports we add new videos to our YouTube channel


Aloha,

Jeannette Koijane and Hope Young
Useful quick links to Kōkua Mau Topics
COVID-19 Resources
Let's Talk Story
POLST
Palliative Care for Patients and Families
Advance Directive
Bereavement Resources
Multilingual Resources
Webinars Hospice and Home Care
Become a member
All Kōkua Mau Resources
Kōkua Mau | PO Box 62155 | Email | kokuamau.org
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