NEW YORK, NY—The OSI Project on Death in America (PDIA) has committed two million dollars to recognize outstanding social work faculty and clinicians who are committed to improving the care of the dying and the bereaved. Since the program's inception in January 2000, 31 Social Work Leaders have been selected. These awards encourage research and training projects that reflect collaboration between schools of social work and practice sites to improve care for the dying. The awards promote the visibility and prestige of social workers committed to end-of-life care, and enhance their effectiveness as academic leaders, role models, and mentors for future generations of social workers.
The mission of the Project on Death in America is to understand and transform the culture and experience of dying and bereavement through initiatives in research and scholarship, and to foster innovations in the provision of care, public education, professional education, and public policy. PDIA is one of the Open Society Institute's U.S. Programs, part of the Soros network of Foundations. OSI-US promotes programs that strengthen democracy and address barriers to justice and opportunity.
A list of the awards for the fourth awards cycle follows:
MERCEDES BERN-KLUG, M.S.W., M.A.
Center on Aging
Kansas City, KS
Psychosocial Concerns at the End of Life for Nursing Home Residents: The Role of Social Work
Little is known about the psychosocial needs of nursing home residents and their families at the end of life. Even less is known about the extent to which nursing home social workers are helping to meet these needs. This project will document the concerns of dying residents and their families to better understand the role of the nursing home social worker in end-of-life care.
SHEILA R. ENDERS, M.S.W.
University of California at Davis Medical Center
Sacramento, CA
Creating a Handbook for Advance Care Planning and Decision Making at the End-of-Life in Populations with Low Literacy, Mild Learning Disabilities, or Mild Cognitive Deficits
This handbook will be tested with inmate patients within the California state prison system. Corrections staff will learn about the concerns of special needs populations in the corrections setting. The project will also create an educational video to promote understanding of key end-of-life issues and will make the handbook and video available to social workers, nurses, hospice, and skilled nursing facility personnel.
RICHARD B. FRANCOEUR, PH.D.
Columbia University
New York, NY
Palliative Care in an Inner-City Minority Population: The Impact of Chronic Disease, Material Deprivation, and Financial Burden on Control of Pain and Symptoms, Biopsychosocial Outcomes, and Service Needs
Material and economic deprivation, especially acute in minority and underserved populations, exacerbate patient and family barriers to full assessment and compliance with treatment for pain and symptoms, thus eroding quality-of-life. The project will determine whether patients who experience material deprivation and/or financial burden are more likely to endure uncontrolled pain and experience unmet service needs.
BARBARA L. JONES, M.S.W., C.S.W.
Albany Medical Center
Albany, NY
Psychosocial Protocol and Training Program for End-of-Life Care for Children with Cancer: A Social Work Curriculum
This project will describe the current training of social workers in end-of-life care for children with cancer, examine the end-of-life experiences of families who have suffered the death of a child to cancer, and define crucial family support services. The project will develop a curriculum and training program for pediatric end-of-life care that can be used by schools of social work, hospitals, and hospices.
JANE LINDBERG, L.C.S.W.
Hinds Hospice
Fresno, CA
Social Worker Bereavement Training Program
This program will provide bereavement services and support for the rural poor, especially migrant Hispanic families, living in three rural central California Counties (Fresno, Madera, and Merced). Social workers, clergy, and health professionals already working in the communities will create a network of knowledgeable, compassionate support. This model project can be used nationwide to improve care of the dying and bereaved.
SUSAN MURTY, A.C.S.W., M.S.W., PH.D.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Developing Social Work Leadership in End-of-Life Services in Rural Communities
This project will train students, faculty, and community partners at the University of Iowa's School of Social Work to take leadership in promoting effective rural social work practice in end-of-life care. Two cohorts of students will be trained as leaders in rural end-of-life care as they progress through the two year curriculum for the master's degree in social work. They will develop specialized knowledge and skills to work in rural communities, especially rural Latino communities. The project will disseminate models of effective service delivery for rural areas.
BRUCE A. PARADIS, PH.D.
Salem State College
Salem, MA
End-of-Life Care: Birth through Old Age
This project will develop an advanced M.S.W. concentration in end-of-life care and strengthen the ties between the Salem State College School of Social Work and the professional social work community. Students will complete a specialized year-long field placement in end-of-life care settings. Principal faculty members will collaborate with the field placement sites and form an advisory committee. An elective course in end-of-life care will be developed and offered via interactive video technology and simulcast to the schools of social work in New England that do not have curriculum in end-of-life care.
SHERRI WEISENFLUH, L.C.S.W.
Hospice of the Bluegrass
Lexington, KY
The Kentucky Project, Enhancing End-of-Life Care: A Social Work Manual for Students and Practitioners
Kentucky has few exemplary models for social work education. This project will create a statewide partnership of educators and service providers to address the scarcity of graduate social workers trained in end-of-life care, and will develop and disseminate a culturally sensitive training manual to students and social work practitioners throughout the state.