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California State University Institute for Palliative Care Expands Program Offerings for Professionals with Summer 2014 Schedule

Innovative online palliative care skill-building courses easily accessible for social workers, nurses, chaplains and healthcare administrators

SAN MARCOS, Calif., March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The California State University Institute for Palliative Care (www.csupalliativecare.org), located at Cal State San Marcos, announced the latest additions to its repertoire of palliative care programs designed by leading palliative care experts. The new programs cover everything from the discipline-specific best practices in palliative care to a unique program created to help clinical and administrative leaders make decisions about the need to create, sustain or expand a palliative care program.

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The Institute's Executive Director, Helen McNeal, said, "We have expanded the depth and breadth of our programs with these additions. Our new Critical Skills for Social Workers is broad in appeal and perfect for all social workers working in or interested in palliative care.  We are also very excited to announce 'The Business Case for Palliative Care,' developed by an experienced team of clinicians, analysts and educators, including Dr. Shelly Adler, Dr. Brian Cassel, Kathleen Kerr, and Dr. Mike Rabow."

The new programs will be unveiled at upcoming conferences the Institute will be attending throughout March.

New Palliative Care Programs Starting Summer 2014

  • Critical Palliative Care Skills for Social Workers – This 8-week online course teaches critical skills that every social worker in palliative care and hospice needs. While this can be an excellent introductory course for those new to palliative care, it is designed to refresh and enhance the practice of any hospice or palliative care social worker.
  • Business Case for Palliative Care – Created by a team with deep experience in designing and evaluating palliative care programs, this four-hour online module brings an introduction to PC program planning and evaluation right to every desktop. Designed to orient clinical and administrative leaders to the concepts that inform the business case for PC, it also introduces the analyses that can be used to assess the impact of existing programs and identify growth opportunities for hospital, clinic, and home-based PC services.
  • Spiritual Care & Mental Health for Chaplains – The course is offered jointly by the CSU Institute for Palliative Care and HealthCare Chaplaincy Network. It will cover topics such as: the relationship between spirituality and mental health, common mental health conditions and the impact on spirituality, spiritual care practices to improve the patient's quality of life and reduce suffering.

About the CSU Institute for Palliative Care
The CSU Institute for Palliative Care at Cal State San Marcos is America's first statewide educational and workforce development initiative dedicated to palliative care. The Institute offers professional development and continuing education courses designed to enhance the skills of current and future health care professionals, as well as programs to build palliative care awareness in the community.

Learn more at www.csupalliativecare.org.