Film and Discussion to Explore End-of-Life Care

Barnabas Health Hospice, operated by Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group in partnership with RWJBarnabas Health is holding a free, community screening of the documentary “Being Mortal” on Thursday, November 3, 2016, at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey. After the screening, audience members can participate in a guided conversation on how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences. Panelists will include Steven Landers, MD, MPH, President and CEO of VNA Health Group, Gregory J. Rokosz, DO, JD, FACEP, FACOE, Senior Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs, Chief Medical Officer at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Sunil Sapru, M.D., F.A.C.P., Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and Theresita (Tacy) Silverberg-Urian RN, BSN CHPN, Certified Hospice and Palliative RN Community Liaison and Case Manager at Barnabas Health Hospice.

“Being Mortal” delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors. It follows a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, as he shares stories from the people and families he encounters. When Dr. Gawande’s own father gets cancer, his search for answers about how best to care for the dying becomes a personal quest.

Dr. Landers, Dr. Rokosz, Dr. Sapru, and Ms. Silvergerg-Urian will explore the importance of people planning ahead and talking with family members about their end-of-life decisions.

Seventy percent of Americans say they would prefer to die at home, but nearly 70 percent die in hospitals and institutions. Ninety percent of Americans know they should have conversations about end-of-life care, yet only 30 percent have done so.

In February 2015, “Being Mortal” aired nationally on the PBS program “Frontline.” The film is adapted from Dr. Gawande’s 2014 nationally best-selling book of the same name. The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.

For more information about and to register, visit www.barnabashealth.org/beingmortal.