LSU Manship School and LSU Health New Orleans Collaborate to Offer Discussion on Hospice and Palliative Care Policy

Sept. 4, 2019

Baton Rouge, LA – The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication will present a discussion on end-of-life care with healthcare professionals, policy makers and community leaders from across Louisiana on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at LSU Health New Orleans Human Development Center. “Designing a Better End: Transforming the Way We Look at Palliative and End-of-Life Care” aims to identify areas of improvement in palliative and hospice care, as well as other end-of-life and long-term illness services. Palliative care professional and health policy advocate Torrie Fields will moderate the event. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is recommended.

The panel will include:

  • Jamey Boudreaux – Executive Director of Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
  • Dr. Susan Nelson – MD, FACP, FAAHPM, System Chair, Palliative Medicine, Ochsner Health System and Medical Director, Post-Acute Care, Ochsner Health System
  • Dr. Emily Vincent – Medical Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
  • Dr. Alexis Morvant – Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, Medical Director of Pediatric Palliative Care at Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Gulf State Pediatric Palliative Care Consortium

“Usually topics like palliative and end-of-life care are not front and center, but they are so central to improving quality of life for people in Louisiana and across the nation. This event provides us with an invaluable opportunity to gather as healthcare professionals and policy makers to talk about how we want to move forward as a state,” Fields said.

Fields is the Program Manager for High Value Solutions for Blue Shield of California. There, she leads the development and implementation of programs and processes that support people with serious illness and their families. In addition, Fields is a consultant and curriculum developer for the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), and California State University’s Palliative Care Institute.

The Reilly Center's Public Policy Fellow program launched in 2001 to inform Louisiana’s local academic communities and political leaders about current public policy issues and encourage meaningful discourse. Since its conception, the program has brought in internationally recognized public policy experts whose research and expertise focus on relevant current issues. Fellows typically spend three to five days on campus and in the community meeting with local policy decision makers, businesspeople and organization leaders in addition to giving public talks.

“We are pleased to welcome Torrie as the Reilly Center’s Fall 2019 Public Policy Fellow. She offers unique insight for our communities on long-term illness and end-of-life care based on her personal experiences as a patient and extensive work in healthcare policy,” Jenée Slocum, Ph.D. director of the Reilly Center, said.

The public panel discussion will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12 at LSU Health New Orleans Human Development Center, 411 South Prieur Street, First Floor Auditorium. Street parking will be available. Admission is free and open to the public but space is limited. RSVP here by Monday, Sept. 9 to reserve your seat.

For more information, contact smalin@lsu.edu. 

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSU Health New Orleans) educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's health sciences university leader, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous annual economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.

 

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