Grand County Hospice and Moab Regional Hospital recently partnered with a nonprofit, community-based health care consulting organization to host Moab’s first Serious Illness Conversation Training.
The four-hour training from Salt Lake City-based HealthInsight gave local physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other health care providers the opportunity to learn end-of-life conversation techniques with Dr. Anna Beck, the Director of Supportive Oncology and Survivorship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
HealthInsight works to improve health and health care for patients and providers.
Beck is double board-certified in Oncology and Palliative Care Medicine, and brought the Serious Illness Conversation Training to Utah after attending the original training at Harvard Medical School.
Beck’s team of expert trainers guided the 26 attendees through the use of the conversation guide with the goal of providing local doctors, nurses and social workers with an invaluable tool to initiate and continue ongoing conversations about what is most important for individuals at the end-of-life to help people prioritize, set goals and alleviate fear during this very intimate time.
Participant Dr. Ken Williams said he appreciated the training that knowledgeable experts offered on the subject of death and dying – one of the most challenging aspects of his job.
Other organizations with provider participation included Moab Regional Multispecialty Clinic; Moab Family Medicine; Canyonlands Care Center; St. Mary’s Hospital; Rocky Mountain Home Health and Hospice; and CNS Home Health and Hospice.
