One of my favorite things about my role as the National Field Manager for The Conversation Project is the opportunity to learn about interesting projects happening around the country. Whether it is a faith leader introducing the importance of end-of-life discussions to her congregation, a retired nurse or financial planner volunteering his time to speak at community events, or small and large employers inviting their staff to become familiar with these important conversations, they all do a wonderful job familiarizing their audience to this work we are all so passionate about. In my two years in this role I’ve now connected with hundreds of these individuals around the country (and internationally) and have had the great fortune of meeting many of them in person.

Rather than being the sole beneficiary of these inspiring stories and countless lessons learned, I share what I hear and see with our larger TCP team and host a free monthly call for anyone interested in bringing end-of-life conversations to their community. On the 3rd Wednesday of each month (at 3 p.m. ET) you can join us via webinar* to get updates from the TCP team, hear examples of regional efforts around the country, and ask questions  to others like you. Tomorrow, August 19th, we’ll be hearing from Charlie Antoni, ACHP-SW, the Palliative Care Coordinator at the Orlando VA Medical Center.  He is doing incredible work! Join us (or sign up to receive the recording and notes) to learn how he has incorporated the Conversation Starter Kit into his Advance Directive Groups. He’ll share some of the struggles and successes from his work as well as suggestions on how you can connect with local veteran groups in your area.

In addition to these monthly community calls, and with gratitude to the Cambia Health Foundation for their generosity, we have a new section of our website launching this month – the Community Resource Center. Here you’ll be able to find a copy of our Getting Started Guide for Communities and peruse through wonderful resources created by regional leaders all over the country. These past two-years I’ve been collecting and curating tools and materials that can help people get started on their own initiatives in their own communities – from meeting agendas, to videos, to measurement strategies, there’s a treasure trove of work available to you. Our theory is “steal shamelessly** and share widely” and we hope anyone who wants to bring The Conversation Project to their community can build on the work of others before them and will, in turn, let us know about the great things they develop for their unique community.

Dig in and enjoy!

Kate DeBartolo

* email conversationproject@ihi.org for connection information

** with permission, of course!