MEDIA RELEASE

Kona Community Hospital (KCH) is hosting a “What is Palliative Care?” community presentation about end of life care decisions 5-7 p.m. Monday, March 12 in the hospital’s Conference Rooms.

The expert panel includes representatives from Kona Community Hospital and other local organizations. Topics covered will be hospital care, home health care, financing, and hospice services. There will also be informational materials provided from the various organizations and time for questions and answers.

“Understanding the importance of advanced planning is critical,” said Lisa Contreras, KCH’s Skilled Nursing Manager. “Although it is such a trying time for a family to have lost a loved one, from my experience, I have found that families who have planned ahead have a less difficult time.”

KCH’s Palliative Care Initiative is a multi-disciplinary team with the goal of providing services to help patients manage symptoms, relieve pain, plan medical treatment and achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families by drawing upon the various resources available in our community.

A top priority is to provide community education about end of life care that many people do not want to discuss.

Studies have shown that advance care planning improves end of life care by enabling patients’ wishes to be determined, documented, and respected at end of life.

It also improves such care from the perspective of the patient and the family, and diminishes the likelihood of stress, anxiety, and depression in surviving relatives.

Mark Kobayashi, KCH’s financial counselor also noted, “Financing end of life care can be one of the most difficult decisions family members have to make. By being proactive and knowing what options are available will greatly benefit families in the long run.”

The dinner presentation is free and open to the entire community. To reserve a space, call 322-6960 or email ebryant@hhsc.org