Palliative Care in the Caribbean ECHO is a new virtual learning network aimed to healthcare professionals to develop skills on palliative care. It consists on a series of monthly virtual meetings with palliative care specialists. The initiative is implemented by the Pan American Health Organization, in partnership with the Massachussets General Hospital, CARIPALCA and the Jamaica Cancer Care and Research Institute.
The sessions will take place the second Tuesday of every month.
Next session will be on Tuesday, 8th February 2022
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing serious illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
Palliative care is an essential component of comprehensive health services for NCDs. In 2014, the first ever global resolution on palliative care, World Health Assembly resolution WHA67.19, called upon WHO and Member States to improve access to palliative care as a core component of health systems, with an emphasis on primary health care and community/home-based care.
ECHO stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes. This tele-mentoring platform offers an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through a virtual learning group, that will connect interdisciplinary providers across the Caribbean with palliative care specialists on a monthly basis. Participants will learn from short didactic presentations delivered by palliative care specialists, followed by the opportunity to present their own de-identified case presentations for discussion, with the aim to improve understanding and knowledge of palliative care.
Access to palliative care improves the quality of life of patients with serious illness and has been declared a human right by the World Health Organization. Despite this, most patients across the Caribbean still do not have access to essential palliative care services. Regular participation in these monthly ECHO sessions will enable front-line providers to enhance their skills in symptom management, psychosocial support, and communication with patients and families facing serious illness—as well as to provide a sense of community between providers across the region in order to enhance resiliency and decrease burnout.
Any allied health professional is welcome to attend, including but not exclusive to physicians (primary care or specialists), nurses, community health workers, pharmacists, social workers, chaplains, or physical therapists, in the Caribbean Region.
The Palliative Care in the Caribbean ECHO meets every month.
Next session will be on Tuesday, 8th February 2022
The first session took place on Tuesday, 13th October.
After registering, you will receive a mail with the link to the virtual room.
The second session will take place on Tuesday, November 10th, at 3:00 pm ( Kingston time and EST)
See below the time correspondence in other cities,
After registering, and a few days before the next session, you will receive a mail with the link to the virtual room.
The third session took place on Tuesday, December 8th, at 3:00 pm ( Kingston time and EST).
Palliative Sedation
Eric Krakauer, MD, PhD
Physician, Division of Palliative Care & Geriatrics, Former Co-Chair, Ethics Committee. Massachusetts General Hospital. Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
The fourth session took place on Tuesday, January 12th, at 3:00 pm ( Kingston time and EST).
Spirituality
Rev Dorothy A Grant
Chaplain-Hope Institute Jamaica
The fifth session will take place on Tuesday, February 9th, at 3:00 pm ( Kingston time and EST).
After registering, and a few days before the session, you will receive a mail with the link to the virtual room.
The sixth session will take place on Tuesday, March 9th, at 3:00 pm ( Kingston time and EST).
After registering, and a few days before the session, you will receive a mail with the link to the virtual room.
The seventh session will take place on Tuesday, April 13th, at 3:00 pm ( Washington DC, time).
After registering, and a few days before the session, you will receive a mail with the link to the virtual room.
