Mrs. Garcia’s daughter, Della,” was crying. Mrs. Garcia had been recently diagnosed with end-stage dementia, she was racked with pain from arthritis, she was lethargic, not saying anything, staring off into space. Della was overwhelmed, trying to figure out how she was going to approach the task of taking care of her mother.

Mrs. Garcia’s doctor made the suggestion to place her under hospice care. Now Della was really frightened: not only was her mother sick, she was dying. After all, isn’t that what hospice is? A place where we put people to die? She had visions of sterile rooms, tubes, and harried, impersonal staff.

But today Della is thankful for hospice. “You have given me hope,” she stated to the chaplain. Her mother is at home, and although she does not make sense, she is speaking again. She is pain free, comfortable and content.

Common sense dictates the knowledge to us that we are all going to die one day. On this we do not have a choice; however, we do have control over the process. People are generally not afraid of death itself, but they are afraid of the dying process: namely, they are afraid of being in pain. They are afraid of being a burden to their loved ones and that their loved ones will suffer through having to see them writhing and moaning in agony.

There is a cynicism about healthcare at the time of death. The reigning belief is that families and doctors will seek life-saving measures no matter what the cost. However, it needs to be noted that money is not necessarily the motivation for doctors to seek aggressive treatment even when it is apparent that a patient is terminal. There is a pervasive attitude in the medical community that death is a failure, a sentiment often mirrored by society. Death is a part of life. For those of religious and spiritual persuasions, death is but a small part of the journey of life.

Dying does not have to be traumatic. There is a way for patients to decide where to die peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, with medical help and spiritual assistance. It is the Hospice Model of Healthcare. Once a medical professional has deemed a patient hospice appropriate and the patient agrees to receive services, a team of people begin visiting wherever the patient calls home: an Assisted Living Facility, a nursing home, or the patient’s homes, for many people prefer to be among familiar surroundings.

Hospice is more than doctors: the team is interdisciplinary, consisting also of nurses, hospice aides, bereavement counselors, social workers and chaplains. Hospice seeks to take care of the whole patient, not just a set of symptoms. The doctors and nurses provide the medical care; hospice aides assist patients in the activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing; bereavement counselors help patients and their families through the grief process; chaplains see to the spiritual needs, providing sacraments, scripture, prayer, and pastoral counseling, as well as assuring that the patient’s priest, pastor, rabbi or imam is in contact; social workers assist with nursing home placement, if necessary; the transition from hospital to home, find ways for a patient’s children to be cared for after the patient passes away, may assist in taking care of funeral arrangements and a host of other practical matters; volunteers provide companionship, conversing with patients, reading to them, playing cards and board games with them. There are even programs where a patients last wish are honored, such as bringing a child home from the military to visit one last time, or even eating out at a favorite restaurant.

The hospice model is the most humane way to allow patients to die with dignity, grace and most of all, comfort. Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance policies with little or no cost to patients. At Catholic Hospice, no one is turned away for an inability to pay. Several fundraisers are held during the year to raise money to cover the necessary expenses, to ensure that everyone needing care gets it.



Scientists around the globe are working hard to help unlock the secrets that can eradicate cancer. Martin Memorial Health Systems is doing its part to help them.

Since 2001, more than 50 cancer clinical research trials have been conducted at the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center at Martin Memorial, through its affiliation with the Moffitt Cancer Center. Those trials offer valuable insight into the causes and treatments of cancer.

That includes research such as Total Cancer Care, which examines the unique molecular structures of different types of tumors and compares patients’ responses to specific drug treatments to learn how to best treat each patient. And it includes two vaccine trials – one for earlier stage lung cancer and one for melanoma – that are seeking to prevent recurrence of disease.

As technology and science become increasingly sophisticated, research will play a growing role in health care. And while much of the research is being performed at life sciences organizations and research hospitals, community hospitals such as Martin Memorial will continue to enjoy a substantive, vital role.

For example, in the past year Martin Memorial has begun to expand its operations to other disciplines, which eventually will include infectious disease, neurology and cardiology. The vision for the future Martin Memorial hospital in west Port St. Lucie includes a dedicated phase 1 unit for conducting inpatient clinical trials in a variety of disciplines.

Martin Memorial is collaborating with various life sciences organizations, including Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI Florida) with a focus on supporting life sciences throughout the region.

In November, Martin Memorial and VGTI Florida announced they were partnering on a research study that would investigate how the body’s immune cells react to exposure to a viral infection such as the flu, either by immunization or by infection with the virus itself.

The study – which is expected to involve approximately 270 subjects – hopefully will allow researchers to better understand the reaction the body has against the virus. Better understanding of the model for acute phase of influenza infection will be helpful in determining protective strategies and developing innovative vaccine and immune therapies to control the current flu epidemic, HIV and other chronic infections.

Clinical research will remain a key element in Martin Memorial’s effort to improve the treatments and lives of people in the community, both now and in the future.



While working for HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Caren Bock realized the need for a children’s book that could prepare, inform, and guide children through the experience of a loss. Inspired by her husband John, family, and dear friend Susan G. Telli, Caren created Wings: A Story of Transformation, a delightful children’s book about the transformation of life and death. This unique story is about a young boy named Christopher and his friend, a caterpillar named “Fuzzy”, who through transformation becomes a beautiful butterfly leaving Christopher to cope with his change. As a critical care pediatric RN, Caren feels this book will help many families through difficult times. Wings offers care and support to children, parents, grandparents, guardians and families, counselors as well as healthcare providers as they face end-of-life, and deal with the issues that come after the death of a loved one.

All proceeds of this book will be donated to HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Inc.

HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Inc. will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary with the Book Launching of Wings, on November 17th from 5:30-8:30 p.m. For more information, call (954) 467-7423 or visit www.hospicecareflorida.org.



Just days after Hurricane Charley devastated the west coast of Florida, employees at Parkway Regional Medical Center pulled together to help the victims in Punta Gorda, many of whom had lost nearly everything they owned.


Jim Rookey, chief cardiovascular technologist in the cardiac catherization lab, along with Parkway Regional Medical Center staff, organized a supply drive and arranged for a plane that he personally flew to Punta Gorda to help victims of Hurricane Charley.

A donation drive was quickly organized by Jim Rookey, the Chief Cardiovascular Technologist in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. Jim, a major in the United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol’s Homeland Security Division, contacted the Red Cross and other agencies to find out what supplies were needed, secured a plane and volunteered to fly it to Florida’s devastated west coast.

On Monday, August 16, just days after the hurricane struck, Parkway employees received an email asking them to donate anything from toiletries, clothing and blankets to diapers and baby formula. Many employees survived Hurricane Andrew 12 years ago and were more than willing to lend a hand to Charley’s victims.

The response from Parkway employees was tremendous. By Saturday, August 21, they had donated more items than could fit in the plane Jim secured for the flight to the west coast. Two pallets of donated items had to be left behind and to be taken to the hurricane victims by truck later.

Jim used his military clearance and piloting skills to gain permission to land at Punta Gorda Airport, which was destroyed in the hurricane. Jim and Parkway’s Director of Business Development Drew Landmeier had to use maps and landmarks to find the airport and land. Air traffic was being directed from a mini-van near the runway.

Parkway’s donations were given to the first responders, law enforcement and medical teams, who, like many residents in the area, lost much in the hurricane but continued to do their jobs despite the personal losses. Many of them remained in shock over the devastation, but the kindness and generosity of Parkway’s employees helped brighten an otherwise difficult situation.



What does religion have to do with healthcare?

There is an increasing body of research that shows a direct and positive correlation between religion/spirituality and health and well-being.

According to Dr. Jeff Levin, a social epidemiologist and former medical school professor who has been researching the relationship between spirituality and health since the mid-1980s, the concept of a body-mind-spirit connection is already changing medical practice, medical education, and research. These changes are based on scientific epidemiology and will are here to stay.

In fact, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ (JCAHO) standards require care providers to address patients’ religion and spirituality.

Why is training on religious issues important for healthcare personnel?

Despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of American medical schools in 2001 required or offered elective courses on religion, spirituality, and medicine, few doctors address the spiritual needs of patients. Even in strongly religious areas of the United States, less than one-third of physicians even inquire about the patients’ religious denomination, and fewer than one in ten routinely take a spiritual history.

In fact, many physicians say they feel uncomfortable addressing religious issues or don’t have time to do this. Others don’t see addressing spiritual issues as part of their job, don’t understand why it should be done, and don’t know how or when to do it.

Caregivers lack the knowledge to address their patients’ religious needs. Learning how to ask the right questions and how to incorporate religious beliefs into a patient’s treatment plan can make a difference in that person’s health.

In addition, today’s healthcare system is serving an increasingly diverse population. Non-European immigrants including Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists are now our healthcare providers and our patients. To give proper care, we need to learn new information and new skills.

Simply stated, religious diversity training for healthcare professionals improves the quality of healthcare.

How do religious issues arise in healthcare?

  • A Jewish woman received new heart valves (from a pig) and, at first, did not recover well from the surgery. Her body did not accept the new valve until her Rabbi reassured her that, while Jewish law prohibits the consumption of pork, the pig valves are acceptable because they will save her life – and life is more important than the laws regarding pork.
  • Hospital staff believed a Muslim man was being stubborn when he refused the injection of his medication and they denied his request for it to be administered later. They subsequently learned that he refused the injection because of his religious beliefs – it was Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset daily. The patient believed that receiving the injection before sunset would violate his fast, a serious offense according to his religious beliefs.
  • A nurse mistook a resident’s rosary beads for a necklace and placed them around her patient’s neck. Rosary beads, used by Christians for a meditative form of prayer, are often considered sacred. Christians would not usually wear them on their body.
  • A nurse admitted that for years she had turned televised Christian services on for all her residents – until she learned that Jews and Muslims do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Why the Tanenbaum Center?

The Tanenbaum Center is a non-sectarian, secular, non-profit organization that has successfully built interreligious understanding for over ten years. The International Labour Organization of the U.N. identified us as the leading resource on Religious Diversity in the Workplace and one of the only organizations worldwide doing this work.

The Tanenbaum Center offers a comprehensive and effective training program to address religion and healthcare. Of professionals trained to date, 82% showed improved test scores and 100% of professionals recommended the program for their colleagues.

How does the Tanenbaum Center’s unique religious diversity training give healthcare facilities a competitive edge?

The Tanenbaum Center’s religious diversity training for healthcare facilities enhances patient and staff satisfaction, and gives facilities an opportunity to address institutional and management issues around religious bias and accommodation.

The training helps healthcare providers understand how different religious beliefs can affect people who are sick and dying. It gives providers knowledge and skills that enable them to provide caring environments for patients from all cultures and religious traditions. The reputation for providing such care is a component of good will that can give a healthcare facility a competitive edge.

Also, by allowing staff to reflect on these issues, their own beliefs and how those beliefs affect their work, the Tanenbaum Center’s program addresses one of the greatest sources of staff dissatisfaction – the belief that the cultural backgrounds of staff are not given respect.

Significantly, the Tanenbaum Center offers expertise on religious diversity issues from a Human Resources standpoint. Employers today increasingly face issues of religious bias and accommodation. The Tanenbaum Center provides guidance to executives and management on best practices and proactive solutions to incipient problems. We have helped many leading companies, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies introduce religion into their diversity and inclusion initiatives.

And many more companies are benefiting from a valuable new resource we recently published: the first comprehensive, interactive managers’ toolkit on religious diversity in the workplace.