healthcare inequities – End of Life University

Learn why cultural humility and awareness of hidden bias are essential in reducing racial disparities in care at the end of life.

My guest Dr. Kimberly Curseen is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She is the director of Supportive and Palliative Care Outpatient Services for Emory Healthcare and helps provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients with cancer at any point in their disease process. She has helped educate physicians on implicit bias in healthcare and has written research articles for the Journal of Palliative Medicine and the Journal of Pain Symptom Management on structural racism and bias in palliative care. We discuss specific issues leading to racial inequities in healthcare and what we need to do to make changes and improve care at the end of life. Learn more about Dr. Curseen’s work:

med.emory.edu

Follow Dr. Curseen

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How Dr. Curseen became interested in hospice and palliative medicine
What is “implicit bias” and how we can recognize it
Her work in rural Arkansas to educate community members and healthcare providers on implicit bias
Why we need “cultural humility” along with cultural competency training
How implicit stereotypes and biases contribute to racial inequities in healthcare
The current problem of racial disparities in pain management
Why improving racial disparities in advance care planning and hospice utilization must begin with our own personal work on hidden biases
How end-of-life care providers can develop cultural humility and a person-centered approach in their work
Why we need to change what we offer in end-of-life care to fit the patients that need care, rather than trying to force patients to fit into our existing model

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out my 2 latest books The Tao of Death and Stories from the Dark Night
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Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu especially my newest donors Lacy Buynak and Grace Lawrence and to Robin Blanche and Sandy Jane Stacy for increasing your pledge.Thank you to my newest donors on PayPal Erin Collins, Debora Schauss, Kathleen Lynch, and Janice Wildrick! Also many thanks to Ann Hyland and Jerry for buying me coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Learn about an innovative program to provide end-of-life care to people living on the streets and in shelters in Toronto.

My guest Dr. Naheed Dosani is the founder of PEACH, a mobile outreach program that provides palliative care to the homeless on the streets and in the shelters of Toronto. His model led to the development of Journey Home Hospice, Toronto’s first hospice for the homeless, which opened in May 2018. He’ll share how and why he started PEACH and inspire all of us to be more aware of and active in dealing with the issues of homelessness and health inequities in our communities. Learn more about PEACH at this webpage:

http://www.icha-toronto.ca/peach-covid-19-palliative-care-resources-for-physicians-and-frontline-workers

Follow Dr. Dosani:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naheedd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NaheedD
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.naheedd
Clubhouse: @naheedd

Listen here:

This episode includes:

What inspired Naheed to create a palliative care program for homeless people
How PEACH functions and provides care for patients on the streets and in shelters
Why there is a great need for palliative care for the homeless population
Health issues faced by homeless people and their shockingly low life expectancy
How to replicate PEACH in other cities and countries
Trauma-informed care and why it is needed for all patients, including those who are homeless
Why we need systemic change in medicine to provide more equitable care to all people
Dealing with grief, compassion fatigue and moral injury for healthcare providers
Why we’re facing a global pandemic of grief due to COVID-19

Links mentioned in this episode:

Register here for Laughter Yoga Webinar (now scheduled for March 10, 2121; get the replay if you can’t attend live)
Canadian Grief Alliance
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!