April 19, 2005

Palliative Care Conference Set for Health Care Providers

"Pain, Illness and Palliative Care" is the topic of a medical education conference for primary care physicians and other health care providers sponsored by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Memorial Medical Center, St. John’s Hospital and the Central Illinois Community Palliative Care Initiative. The program will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield.

Session begin at 8:45 a.m. with "A Call To Action - Palliative Care" presented by Judith Paice, Ph.D., director of the cancer pain program at Northwestern University in Evanston, and followed at 9:45 a.m. with "Pain Assessment and Pharmacologic Interventions" presented by Patrick Coyne, director at the Thomas Palliative Care Unit at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond. Other sessions include "Symptom Management in Palliative Care" (11 a.m.), "On the Local Scene: Palliative Care in Central Illinois" (1 p.m.), "Palliative Care in the Nursing Home: Problems and Opportunities" (2:15 p.m.), and "Patient and Family Panel" (3:15 p.m.).

The course meets the requirements for 6 hours of credit in category 1 toward the AMA Physicians Recognition Award through SIU. The registration fee is $50. For information or to register, contact Laura Dillon, Central Illinois Community Palliative Care Initiative, 757-2353 weekdays.

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NOTE: Media interviews are best scheduled during lunch at noon and the breaks at 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m.