The vibrant conference was helmed by Dr. Russell Portenoy and Barbara Hiney, MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, respectively. Portenoy also heads Beth Israel Medical Center’s Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care.

In exciting state news, it was reported that a coup has been pulled off by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team, which is co-chaired by MJHS President and CEO Eli S. Feldman.

Faster than expected, Feldman’s committee got two critical new hospice bills signed into law, said Kathy McMahon, President of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State.

The bills expand access to palliative care by changing the “terminal” diagnosis for non-Medicare patients from 6 to 12 months, and letting hospices hire doctors for palliative care.

“Impressive,” McMahon enthused.

Dr. Kathleen Foley, Medical Director of the International Palliative Care Initiatives Network, said 5 billion people live in countries offering poor pain treatment. She said global groups made headway with the 2010 Declaration of Montreal, where representatives from 130 countries declared access to pain management a “right.”

“A huge step,” Portenoy noted.

MJHS Hospice Art Therapist Matthew Israel and Music Therapist Yelena Zatulovsky spoke movingly about MJHS’ well-known creative arts therapy programs. They described how making art can get families forming memories together; communicating better; and learning more both about each other, and the beauty of life.

John Mondanaro, Clinical Director of Beth Israel’s Music Therapy Program, noted music therapy works well in part due to science. It releases both stored memories, and pain-fighting, opioid-like endorphins. “We are like musical organs—our bodies are like resonators,” he said. He added the licensed music therapists of MJHS and Beth Israel put in 1200 hours of clinical work each to gain their licenses.

MJHS Director of Pastoral Care Charles Rudansky had therapists laughing and crying with his talk on how hospice is about the patient, not the pros: “It is their journey.”

Dr. Diane Meier, Director of the national Center to Advance Palliative Care, noted hospice and palliative care is not just a humane option—but a cost-saving one, key as health costs skyrocket. She cited a New England Journal of Medicine study finding cancer patients on aggressive medical care lived three months less than cancer patients on palliative care.

Portenoy gave compelling talks on drug advances and other key issues in the field. Hiney discussed MJHS’ successful bid to ally its community-based programs with hospital-based programs like Beth Israel’s. “Messaging is so important to take away fears,” she said, urging participants to educate the public on the top medical, psychological and spiritual care that hospice offers at the end of life.

“Inspire someone to do something large and wonderful!” agreed Beth Israel Director of Nursing Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care Marilyn Bookbinder.

Later, Portenoy noted: “The conference focused on the contributions varied disciplines make. Presenters included physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, psychologists, and music therapists. The conference also emphasized the emerging state of symptom control science. Conference attendees heard about advances in opioid therapy, including data to improve methadone safety, efficacy of new rapid-onset formulations for breakthrough pain, and new treatments for opioid-induced constipation.”

Finally, Portenoy said, “The conference demonstrated specialists in palliative care are part of a worldwide movement.”

The November 29 MJHS/Beth Israel conference, marking hospice and palliative care month, featured excellent remarks on topics ranging from Pain Assessment and Diversity to When Pain is an Emergency. Presenters included: Ebtesam Ahmed, Terry Altilio, Dr. Marilyn Bookbinder, Bernardo Canga, Susan Conceicao, Dr. Lara Dhingra, Dr. Serife Eti, Debra Fox, Myra Glajchen, Suzanne Hanen, Dr. Bernard Lee, Dr. Katherine Leonard, Dr. Brenda Matti-Orozco, Maureen McCarthy, and Toby Weiss.