PA-CHaPCC acts
as an advocate and educational resource,
facilitating relationships by encouraging
support among children, their families,
professional service providers, legislative and
regulatory agencies and funding sources.
On Saturday
morning, January 12th, 2008, the
Honorable Secretary Estelle B. Richman hosted
the kick-off meeting for the Department of
Public Welfare’s new Pediatric Palliative and
Hospice Care (PPHC) Task Force.
The PPHC Task Force
was comprised of a statewide pool of family
members, advocates, doctors, nurses,
researchers, hospice workers, hospice
volunteers, researchers, medical ethicists,
social workers, therapeutic professionals,
psychologists, religious/spiritual
professionals, government officials, and
government staffers. During the
meeting the general membership of the PPHC Task
Force assembled for the first time and began the
PPHC Task Force process to evaluate the current
human services system of care with respect to
children with life-limiting illnesses.
In the
afternoon, the general membership divided into
their respective subcommittee assignments, met
their fellow subcommittee members, and began
identifying their subcommittee’s topic-specific
challenges/recommendations with respect to
delivering proper and appropriate care for
children with life-limiting illnesses.
Members of the PPHC Task
Force were charged with developing a
comprehensive report that examines
Pennsylvania’s current human services delivery
system for palliative and hospice care for its
children. Ultimately, the Task Force published
their findings in the Pediatric
Palliative and Hospice Care Task Force Final
Report (November 2008).
The PA-CHaPCC
emerged from
the state PPHC Task Force members to further the
implementation of the task force report and to
exist as a permanent organization committed to
caring for children with life-limiting and
life-threatening diagnoses in Pennsylvania.
Contacts for Western and Eastern Pennsylvania
Western
Pennsylvania
Mrs. Meghan Murphy, M.S.W., M.O.T. (bereaved mother)
-
meghan27@earthlink.net
Eastern
Pennsylvania
Mrs. Kathryn Lawson, R.N. (bereaved mother) -
kate@lawsons.net
