FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Maria Pisano ... - WQED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Maria Pisano ... - WQED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Maria Pisano ... - WQED
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<strong>FOR</strong> <strong>IMMEDIATE</strong> <strong>RELEASE</strong>: <strong>CONTACT</strong>: <strong>Maria</strong> <strong>Pisano</strong><br />
June 20, 2011 412-622-1459<br />
mpisano@wqed.org<br />
Darryl Ford Williams<br />
412-622-1393<br />
dfwillia@wqed.org<br />
END OF LIFE CONVERSATIONS<br />
PROVIDE CONTEXT <strong>FOR</strong> PREMIERE OF:<br />
THE LAST CHAPTER<br />
A <strong>WQED</strong> DOCUMENTARY<br />
PITTSBURGH—Everyone has a story – a life that can be broken down into chapters.<br />
For patients with a terminal illness the question becomes: who will write the last chapter?<br />
Billions of dollars are currently spent on terminally ill patients -- much of that on patients<br />
who may or may not want or fully understand the treatments being offered to them. But<br />
patients who have made a different choice – opting for palliative and hospice care as part<br />
of their end of life planning – often have lower costs and higher quality of life in the final<br />
days. Some even see their lives prolonged.<br />
This documentary is not about the elderly, or the sick. It is a story -- about us.<br />
Most people will experience the death of a family member or friend -- and as we age -- so<br />
will we be affected by chronic illness. Taking part in end of life planning represents an<br />
opportunity to have those difficult conversations and to take part in - even take charge of<br />
-- a journey that can lead to a better quality of life -- and a more peaceful goodbye -- as<br />
we write The Last Chapter.<br />
-MORE-
P. 2—THE LAST CHAPTER<br />
On Thursday, June 30, 2011 join <strong>WQED</strong>-TV for Before the Last Chapter:<br />
Conversations About the End of Life, a half-hour panel discussion LIVE at 7:30 p.m.<br />
followed by the premiere of The Last Chapter, a one-hour documentary at 8 p.m.<br />
about several local people dealing with end of life issues.<br />
Before the Last Chapter: Conversations About the End of Life will encore:<br />
June 30<br />
At 10 p.m. on <strong>WQED</strong>: The Create Channel<br />
At midnight on <strong>WQED</strong>-TV<br />
July 1<br />
At 12:30 p.m. on <strong>WQED</strong>: The Create Channel<br />
July 3<br />
At 1:30 p.m. on <strong>WQED</strong>-TV<br />
The Last Chapter will encore:<br />
July 1<br />
At 10 p.m. on <strong>WQED</strong>-TV<br />
July 3<br />
At 10:30 p.m. on <strong>WQED</strong>-TV<br />
Funding for Before the Last Chapter: Conversations About the End of Life and The<br />
Last Chapter was provided by a grant from The Jewish Healthcare Foundation.<br />
<strong>WQED</strong> Pittsburgh, honored with the 2007 and 2006 Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Award for<br />
Station Excellence, was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported<br />
broadcaster. The people of <strong>WQED</strong> create, produce and distribute quality programs,<br />
products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their<br />
community and around the world. <strong>WQED</strong> Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in<br />
the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities.<br />
It is the parent company of <strong>WQED</strong>-TV (PBS); <strong>WQED</strong>: The Neighborhood Channel;<br />
<strong>WQED</strong>: The Create Channel; Classical <strong>WQED</strong>-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM<br />
89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; <strong>WQED</strong> Interactive<br />
(www.wqed.org); and The <strong>WQED</strong> Education Department.<br />
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and its supporting organizations,<br />
the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI) and Health Careers Futures (HCF)<br />
develop and manage programs, research, training and grantmaking to perfect patient care.<br />
-MORE-
P. 3—THE LAST CHAPTER<br />
JHF is also the fiscal agent for State HIV/AIDS funding in Pennsylvania. In addition, the<br />
Foundation has created Closure, an education, planning and outreach effort dedicated to<br />
changing expectations for end-of-life. JHF is funded by public and private sources, and<br />
the JHF endowment. For more information, visit www.jhf.org.<br />
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