InterFaith and Diversity Workgroup on Spirituality
On July 8, the C-TAC InterFaith and Diversity Workgroup on Spirituality held a consultation at the American Hospital Association. The consultation was effective in fostering discussion on how the workgroup can best work toward the mission of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, and further connect with the community and various traditions.
One component of the meeting was discussion of the Workgroup Operational Plan. The Operational Plan states the mission of the Spirituality and Diversity Workgroup “to transform advanced illness care for all people by promoting individual choice and advocating for policy change that will empower all people to make informed choices regarding advanced illness according to their own traditions.” Discussion of the operational plan was focused around the primary questions answered by the plan including:
- Who do we serve?
- What are their needs?
- What services do we offer?
- How will we provide these services?
- How will we evaluate success?
- What will success look like?
The group discussed the upcoming National Consultation for Faith and Diversity Leaders. This event will take place on November 14th before the C-TAC member meeting. The objective of the conference is to convene leaders to drive the importance of addressing patient and family spiritual needs onto the national agenda. The workgroup agreed that the conference should place a focus on:
- A move toward action
- A statement of the relationship of this workgroup to the community
- Developing an understanding of what each faith and diverse community thinks about these issues and obtaining the necessary data
- Highlighting stories of patients and their families
Members of the workgroup broke into subgroups to develop roadmaps for subgroup activities. Each group discussed their objectives, their audience, and how and when they will reach this audience. The three subgroups included:
- National Advanced Care Sabbath/ Sunday
- Community Strategies
- Knowledge and Best Practices Dissemination
Each subgroup presented their discussions to the workgroup and the group developed actions that will move the group toward its object. For example, the groups discussed the effective practices for the Care Journey website and the best ways to market ways in which patients and families can use the site. Another subgroup proposed a “Direct Mail Card” as an informative method to connect with the interfaith and diverse community. Finally, there was widespread discussion on methods in which C-TAC can further utilize networks and bring various stakeholders to the table.
For more information about this Workgroup and upcoming activities, please contact us.
