Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #420FY0102
Hospice Clergy Education Project
Requester:		David Abrams			Organization:		Hospice Foundation of America
Project Title:		Hospice Clergy Education Project			Date Submitted:		1/16/2002 4:27:02 PM
Sponsors:		Rene Garcia
Statewide Interest:
This program is designed to reduce reliance on expensive futile care at the end of life for terminally ill persons.
Recipient:		Hospice Foundation of America			Contact:		David Abrams
		777-17th Street, # 401			Contact Phone:		(305) 538-9272
		Miami Beach 33139
Counties:		Dade
Gov't Entity:			Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):					Yes
Project Description:
The goal of the hospice clergy education project is to provide bereavement education services to clergy members to enable them to better minister to their family in the event of terminal illness. Many individuals with a terminal disease which is no longer responding to aggressive care will continue costly and unnecessary treatments because of misinformation or perceptions that their faith would not allow palliative care. This causes them to undergo sometimes painful treatment which has little or no hope of succeeding, placing a financial and emotional drain on their families, and causing financial stress on the medical system. At the same time, clergy members receive no formal training in advising, assisting and supporting people through end-of-life crises. Educating faith communities in end-of-life care would help in two ways: 1- it can assist clergy and other leaders to clarify their perspectives and ethical stances on end of life decisions; 2-it can assist those communities in educating their individuals and groups in times of non-crisis.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Grief has demonstrated negative effects on physical and mental health. Faith communities that can engage in ministry to the bereaved utilizing the latest bereavement techniques will mitigate the deleterious physical and mental effects of loss (depression, morbidity, mortality) and return people more rapidly to a healthier condition. Yet clergy often have little training and limited knowledge of grief. The Hospice Clergy Education Project will increase knowledge about end-of-life options, increase hospice referrals and influence the length of stay in hospice. Additionally, clergy communities can often provide volunteer services that supplement and enhance care, making people less dependant on more costly, futile aggressive care, thereby reducing the overall cost of the medical system.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:						$400,000
Identify items(s) in the FY 2002-03 Appropriations Bill to be reduced:
Specific Appropriation #:			577A
Specific Appropriation Title:			Aid to Local Goverment. Community Health Initiatives
Amount to be reduced:			$400,000
Total cost of the project:			$400,000
Request has been made to fund:				Operations
What type of match exists for this project?					None
Was this project previously funded by the State?							No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?							Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?							No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?							No
Is there a documented need for this project?							Yes
	Documentation:		Lack of training available to clergy in the area of grief/loss
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?							Yes
	Hearing Body:		Miami-Dade Legislative Delagation
	Meeting Date:		1/17/2001