NewsLine - August 2011 - (Page 38)

Short Takes Back into the Spotlight: Hospice Behind Prison Walls Since its formation in 1998, Angola prison hospice at Louisiana State Penitentiary has served as a model for hospice programs within correctional facilities across the nation. More than 180 prison inmates have received care here, in large part due to the support and compassion of fellow prisoners who are trained as hospice volunteers. While Angola prison hospice has been the subject of numerous research projects, documentaries and news programs, a new documentary and new book are helping to bring this program— and topic—back into the national spotlight. The new documentary, “Serving Life,” debuted on the Oprah Winfrey Network on July 28. Through moving footage and interviews, narrator and executive producer, Forest Whitaker, brings viewers face to face with the compassionate care being provided in this challenging setting as well as the personal rehabilitation that often takes place among the prison inmate volunteers. In the words of one volunteer: “I have eight siblings. Seven are doctors and one is a nurse. I am the loser. I am a murderer. At least that is what I used to think. Now I am a hospice volunteer.” serving life sentences, and it is estimated that 85 percent of them will grow old and die there. This new documentary and book bring to light the increasing need for hospice care in a world few of us will ever see—and the humanity that exists in all of us, model citizens and criminals alike. Warden Burl Cain Honored for His Vision and Work Burl Cain, the warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, was the recipient of the LouisianaMississippi Hospice & Palliative Care Organization’s 2011 Heart of Hospice Award. Warden Cain initiated the innovative hospice model that became Angola prison hospice, believing that “everyone deserves to die with dignity and no one should ever die alone.” Warden Cain accepted the award at LMHPCO’s Heart of Hospice Luncheon in New Orleans on July 28. These poignant stories have also been captured in a new book by award-winning photographer, Lori Waselchuk. Waselchuk is well known for the traveling exhibition, “Grace Before Dying.” Her photographs, which showed us early glimpses of the extraordinary work at Angola prison hospice, have now been preserved in a 120-page hardcover edition, also titled Grace Before Dying. Included with the photographs are two traveling exhibits suitable for display in public spaces. About half of the inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary are 38 NewsLine http://www.oprah.com/own-doc-club/Serving-Life-Trailer http://www.gracebeforedying.org/ http://www.gracebeforedying.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - August 2011

Marketing Hospice: Ethical Practices
A Message From Don
We Earned Our Merit Badge in Clinical Excellence (display ad)
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
Helping Children Grieve
ChiPPS: A Gold Mine for Pediatric Palliative Care Resources
The Voice of NCHPP
Providing Seamless Hospice Care
Hospice in the Continuum: Partnering to Provide PACE
Collaboration. Big Picture Perspective. Masterful Results (display ad)
We Honor Veterans Products from Marketplace (display ad)
Back into the Spotlight: Hospice Behind Prison Walls
Free Online Videos About Hospice Care
WHV: Earning Your Stars May be Easier Than You Think
Hospice Outreach: Tailoring Your Message to Your Audience
New Pediatric Training Module
Member News and Notes
Regulatory Tip of the Month
Educational Offerings
Back Cover

NewsLine - August 2011