Reframing Hospice in Public Consciousness
Building from my prior work, and guided by theory, I will complete a social norms and health education campaign to reframe hospice among vulnerable residents in St. Louis. Well-suited to address long-standing needs in the St. Louis community, which have been heightened due to circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this project will address hospice misperceptions through a culturally relevant intervention. Utilizing community engagement, project aims are to: create educational/promotional materials about hospice using art and narratives; distribute materials with a targeted approach; and evaluate impact and community perception changes to hospice care. Partnerships include local organizations serving low-income, primarily African American older adults, community artists creating mural displays depicting hospice, and a videographer creating narrative stories of current hospice patients and families.
“As a leader, I am passionate about challenging negative perceptions of hospice and palliative care in public and professional contexts, and actively contributing to a multi-faceted approach in improving access to and quality of end-of-life care through my role as researcher, educator and social advocate. My vision for the future includes expanding my agenda to larger, funded projects with national partners. As a social worker, my work is patient- and family-centered and guided by the core values and ethics of the profession. My training enables me to approach situations through a systemic lens that considers problems through the interaction of various forces – psychological, social, economic, and political – and transactions between individuals and their environment. Leaders must be able to both envision the larger context for the future of palliative care and consider individual roadblocks in the realization of that vision. As a clinician first, my research is informed by clinical practice and I am committed to providing translational research that directly impacts care and services for patients and families. As such, I envision serving as an advocate in national conversations about the future of palliative care and acquired skills of this project related to narrative interventions and implementation science will further prepare me for this role. Participation in this program will allow me to focus on the next stage of my career following tenure, and how I might contribute to lasting change as a national leader in the field of palliative care.”
