Catholic hospitals urged to lead way on hospice, palliative care

Published: 2006-06-07

ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- All Catholic hospitals should be "making the end-of-life journey a blessed and sacred one" for their patients by offering hospice and palliative care, a Sister of Providence told her fellow Catholic health leaders. Sister Karin Dufault, executive director of the Supportive Care Coalition: Pursuing Excellence in Palliative Care in Portland, Ore., addressed a plenary session of the Catholic Health Association's 91st assembly June 6 in Orlando. Also speaking at the session on "Responding to the Vulnerability of Aging and the Journey at the End of Life" was therapist and author Mary Pipher, who talked about the experiences that led to her 1999 book, "Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders." Sister Karin, who worked until last year as vice president for mission leadership at Providence Health System in Seattle, said a 2004 survey by the American Hospital Association showed that 35 percent of the 536 U.S. Catholic hospitals offered hospice care and 43 percent offered palliative care. Although the numbers have improved somewhat since then, she said, "We should be at 100 percent."

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