Palliative Care - Mount Sinai Hospital

Fall 2008
Palliative Care
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg
Palliative Care Institute
Giving | PAGE 8 How Can We Improve Care | PAGE 1
Massage Therapy | PAGE 6
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine
How Can We Improve Care
for Seriously Ill Patients?
“ Teach Health Professionals the Skills They Need”
“Why are we surprised that it’s so hard to get good care for seriously ill people?”
asks Diane E. Meier, MD, Director of the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute. “We shouldn’t
be shocked to encounter doctors who don’t know how to manage pain, or nurses who
aren’t equipped to help a patient and family through a very difficult conflict or guide them
in coming to terms with some bad news. These are teachable skills, but we actually need
to ensure that they are taught.” According to Dr. Meier, these skills should not lie in the
exclusive domain of Palliative Care specialists.
In the year 2011, the first group of millions of baby boomers will reach the age of sixty-five.
During coming decades, “the overwhelming majority of persons flooding the health
care system will be people with advanced chronic and serious conditions,” warns Dr. Meier.
“Their primary needs, including relief of pain, stress and other symptoms of illness,
will relate to palliative care. We need to re-connect the education of all health professionals
to the needs of patients and families. No one should graduate from medical, nursing,
or social work school without core competencies in palliative care.”
Continued on page 7
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photo –
warm up fleshtones,
less gray
Diane E. Meier, MD
Director, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute

2
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg
Palliative Care Institute
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics
and Adult Development
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070, NY, NY 10029
Tel. 212-241-1446
www.mssm.edu/palliative
Diane E. Meier, MD
Director, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care
Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics
Professor, Departments of Geriatrics and Medicine
Albert L. Siu, MD, MSPH
Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chairman’s Chair
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics
and Adult Development
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Director of the GRECC at the James J. Peters
VA Medical Center
R. Sean Morrison, MD
Vice-Chair for Research
Director, National Palliative Care Research Center
Director of Research, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Hermann Merkin Professor of Palliative Care
Emily J. Chai, MD
Medical Director
Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Assistant Professor, Brookdale Department
of Geriatrics and Adult Development
Gabrielle Goldberg, MD
Education Director
Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Assistant Professor, Brookdale Department
of Geriatrics and Adult Development
Bette Kerr
Writer and Editor
Co-Editor: Susie West
Photographers: Bruce Kushnick and Ana Blohm, MD
Art Director: E.Fitz Art, Inc.
The Hertzberg Philanthropic
Leadership Council
Peggy Danziger
Joseph Hertzberg
Walter W. Hess, Jr.
Ellen Katz
Ruth Madoff
Diane E. Meier, MD
Susan L. West
Zena Wiener
The Chaplaincy
Another Way to Provide Comfort and Healing
“In a hospital, people can easily lose their sense of identity,”
observes Rabbi Edith Meyerson, Chaplain for the Hertzberg
Palliative Care Institute. “Clad in hospital gowns, with only
wrist name bands to identify them, patients can feel like
prisoners in their beds. I’m here to remind them of who they are,
to invite them to share their stories, their thinking, their lives.”
Religion can play a major part in the healing process. “In pastoral
care it’s important to meet people wherever they are,” explains
Rabbi Meyerson. “Rather than asking someone to come into my
boat, I board patients’ boats. They hold the oars and take me where
Rabbi Edith Meyerson
they want to go. My role as chaplain is to row with them as they
share experiences of life, illness, faith, God, relationship – whatever they have on their
minds and in their hearts. The simple yet deeply profound goal is to let them share
their stories and feel heard.”
When people are strongly connected to their faith, Rabbi Meyerson asks if they would
like to talk with her about their beliefs. If they are affiliated with a particular house of
worship, she offers to contact their clergy person. When there is a specific religious need
that she can not fulfill, Rabbi Meyerson finds someone who can meet that need.
A generous gift from
Idee Schoenheimer and her
husband Pierre, together
“The simple yet deeply profound
with a contribution from the
Hebrew Union College, funded
goal is to let patients share their
the chaplaincy internship that
stories and feel heard.”
first brought Rabbi Meyerson
to Palliative Care. “Healing
– RABBI EDITH MEYERSON
takes many forms,” reflects
Mrs. Schoenheimer, adding,
“There is a spiritual aspect
to it. It doesn’t necessarily have
to be God. During the crisis of serious illness we are vulnerable, we need someone to
offer some grounding. The Palliative Care physicians do this so well. Why not offer
them the assistance of a chaplain to augment their services?”
Comfortable in a hospital setting, Rabbi Meyerson has found her niche in her new
position. She reveals, “I was exposed early to the beautiful way my Dad, a cardiologist,
practiced medicine, the way he related to his patients. I saw evidence of the spiritual
gifts his patients gave to him, too.” In the Sinai Palliative Care team, Rabbi Meyerson
sees a similar respect for patients’ humanity. In addition to patients and families,
she provides support to clinicians and staff, allowing them to talk about personal issues
and feelings that may emerge while they care for seriously ill people.
To spend time with a family during a patient’s final hours is “a very holy experience,”
says Rabbi Meyerson. “The family welcomes me on to sacred ground.” Officiating
at a recent Palliative Care Memorial Service, she helped provide “an opportunity to
think about ways to honor our loved ones, to remember the lives that touched us
and to reflect on our own lives.”
“Every day has been well spent if I know I’ve touched someone, if I’ve provided some
sort of comfort or healing,” concludes Rabbi Meyerson.

A Growing Demand for Palliative Care
“Our Program began as a small consultative service,” says Dr. Emily
Chai, Medical Director of Clinical Services in Palliative Care.
“In 1998 we had one attending physician and one nurse. Hospital
physicians called on us mainly when their patients were near
the end of life. We helped them alleviate symptoms and make
patients comfortable. Today we are consulting and caring for
seriously ill patients throughout the hospital, regardless of whether
they will live for a week or for years. We help many people lead
long, high-quality lives. Our staff has grown exponentially.”
Now in its tenth anniversary year, the Hertzberg Palliative Care
Institute has two full-time clinical teams, both with physicians,
nurse practitioners, and social workers. A massage therapist works
with both teams. “We will soon be heading toward a third team,”
adds Dr. Chai. “Meanwhile, we have to be creative to meet a
steadily increasing need. We designated one team to see older
adults and one for younger patients. Since we’re part of the
Geriatrics Department, we can augment our coverage when
Geriatrics physicians see Palliative Care patients. Most important,
we can be even more patient-centered, determining which
physicians are best equipped to serve patients’ specific needs.”
Another move towards efficiency and better care involves
the Fellows, young physicians pursuing specialized training
in Palliative Care. On weekends, patients are given the Fellows’
pager numbers and can obtain access to a physician around
the clock. According to Dr. Chai, “This is tremendously
reassuring for patients, and it’s a learning opportunity for
Fellows, who can always call upon an attending physician
if consultation is needed.”
In only five years, the number of inpatients seen annually by
the Palliative Care service has doubled from 619 in 2003 to 1138
in 2007. “That’s without counting outpatients,” adds Dr. Chai.
What is Palliative Care Anyway?
“Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) specializes
in the relief of the pain, symptoms, and stress of serious
illness. Palliative care is appropriate at any point in an
illness, and it can be provided at the same time as treatment
that is meant to cure you.”
Information on free resources for
help in situations that may require
palliative care can be found at:
www.getpalliativecare.org
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Palliative Care Clinical Team Meeting
Carol Stangby, LCSW; Emily Chai, MD and Sue McHugh-Salera, NP
“More and more, physicians throughout the Hospital realize
they’re not equipped to treat all the symptoms of critically ill
patients, and to hold the time-consuming, intense, in-depth
conversations that we have with both patients and family.
Education is a big part of our mission. We’re teaching both doctors
and the general public to understand and value Palliative Care.”
“We are consulting and caring for seriously
ill patients throughout the hospital, regardless
of whether they will live for a week or for years.”
– EMILY CHAI, MD
Under Dr. Chai’s leadership, a recent all-day retreat allowed faculty
and staff to dedicate themselves to strategic planning, and, for
the first time in a retreat, self-care. “We were able to focus a little
more on ourselves than we do in regular clinical sessions where
we talk about emotions that come up with specific patients.
Increased awareness of our own feelings enables us to take better
care of our patients,” reveals Dr. Chai, adding, “I so enjoy the
interaction with my staff. Every single one is a highly skilled
clinician and a team player. My patients – and the staff – draw me
back and motivate me to do more each day.”
According to Dr. Chai, the next big step forward is to create a
Palliative Care Inpatient Unit. The Hospital has agreed to provide
the raw space, but the Program has to raise money for everything
else. “We want all nurses and floor staff to be trained in Palliative
Care,” says Dr. Chai. “ If we don’t have to teach them what to do,
and we have a smaller patient to nursing ratio, we can spend
more time taking better care of very sick patients in a state of the
art facility.” Rooms will be private – with kitchenettes – and family
members can stay overnight. “We envision an attractive, inviting,
less institutional space. Finding funding and moving ahead with
this is a huge challenge,” concludes Dr. Chai.
3

4
Medical Students’ Education:
“ My Week in Palliative Care Reminded Me of Why I Entered Medical School.”
“Only during my week on the Palliative Care service was I able to
focus on patients in a way that I envisioned doing before coming
to medical school,” reflects a third-year medical student.
“Since 2006 we require all medical students to have a rather
unique one-week rotation in Palliative Care as part of their
12-week combined clerkship in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics,”
explains Dr. Gabrielle Goldberg, Director of the Palliative Care
Education Center. “Our intention is not to make all students
Palliative Care physicians, but to educate them to be better
doctors – more compassionate, more aware of the wishes of
patients and families.”
The palliative care requirement for medical students involves
collaboration among many individuals and groups. Dr. Reena
Karani of Geriatrics and Dr. Peter Gliatto of Internal Medicine
co-direct the 12-week clerkship. Professional and support
staff are augmented via a gift from the Mount Sinai Auxiliary
Board to fund the Palliative Care Education Center. According to
Dr. David Muller, Dean of Medical Education, “We are one of only
a handful of schools in the country to require this type of rotation
and it is in keeping with the mission and tradition of Mount Sinai.
Our educational program is focused on service, altruism, and
the pivotal role of the physician in society. Palliative Care is one of
the best expressions of those goals in the practice of medicine.”
“It’s all about putting patients and their families
first, focusing on their goals of care even
when they aren’t necessarily ‘medical.’”
– DAVID MULLER, MD
During their rotation, students participate in interactive
sessions on pain management and communication skills
and review their learning goals with faculty members.
Making rounds with the Palliative Care teams, students observe
patient care as well as meetings with families. “They may
take part of the patient history, talk to patients, do examinations,
or collect laboratory data from the computer,” reveals Dr. Karani.
In addition, she notes that “this is the only time in their medical
school training that students are exposed to one of the most
highly functioning teams in medical care. Students are always
seeing patients throughout the hospital, but until this week
they don’t get a sense of how people from different disciplines –
medicine, social work, nursing, physical therapy – can really
work together with complex patients.”
Gabrielle Goldberg, MD, instructing Medical Student Deena Adimoolam
Comments from different sectors about the
Palliative Care rotation for medical students bear
strikingly similar themes:
Dr. Karani:
“Since we have one of the best, most renowned programs
in Palliative Care with an amazing team of providers,
not exposing students to this until recently seemed like
a glaring absence.”
Dr. Goldberg:
“It’s rejuvenating for all of us to work with the medical students
and see them immediately appreciate the amount of time
we spend with patients and families and our intense and
compassionate focus.”
Dean Muller:
“It’s all about putting patients and their families first, focusing
on their goals of care even when they aren’t necessarily ‘medical,’
and the privilege of doing things beyond the call of duty for
people at their most vulnerable. These are the most important
messages we can send to our students.”
Medical student:
“My week helped me learn that palliative care is not a service
to sign out to once I have exhausted medical interventions
with a patient. Rather, it is one to partner with as I care for
individuals with either chronic or terminal illnesses and
try to help their families too. I am grateful to the palliative
care team for not only teaching me these valuable lessons
but also supporting me as I struggled with the difficult issues
they confront daily.”

A Family Commitment to Philanthropy
and a Fellowship in Palliative Care
Concern for the future of health care and a strong philanthropic
spirit are hardly novel in the Leader family, where feelings are
translated into actions by each generation. The Sidney D. and
Ruby F. Leader Fellowship in Palliative Medicine, endowed this
year, “is something my parents would have wanted us to do,”
says Steven D. Leader. “It’s also a natural outgrowth of where
Steve and I are right now,” adds his wife Barbara. “We’re teaching
and mentoring, working on the new generation in so many
aspects of our lives. Enabling advanced training for young
palliative care physicians is a perfect fit.”
“A Mount Sinai pediatrician, my dad was always focused on
the humanity of medicine,” says Steven Leader. “He felt that
some of that focus was lost in later years and he wanted to bring
it back. Mom was trained as a speech teacher. Like her brothers,
James and Irving Felt, she was committed to volunteerism,
social issues, and giving back. James Felt was President of the
Nursing College at Sinai, and he assembled much of the
land on which Sinai built. I followed his career path as a real
estate consultant.”
When Ruby Felt Leader approached ninety with increasing
visual limitations, she remained adamant about continuing
her daily walks of a mile or two. “No taxis or buses for her,”
says Steve. “But after a lifetime of independence and
taking care of others, she became distressed at having to
depend more on help for the tasks of daily life. Fortunately
for all of us, Dr. Diane Meier was able to accept her as a
geriatrics patient.”
“We learned about palliative care through my mother-in-law’s
relationship with Dr. Meier,” reflects Barbara Leader, a
speech-language pathologist now on the faculty at New York
Medical College and in private practice in Manhattan.
The Leader Family:
Two Generations of Philanthropy
Ruby F. and Sidney D. Leader, left.
Barbara and Steven Leader, right.
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute 5
“Steve’s mother remained at home until the end of her life.
She was fortunate to have a doctor who treated not only her
physical symptoms but relieved some of the depression that
came on with increased disability. Dr Meier talked to her,
spent time with her, listened, placed value on what she said,
never minimized her as an old lady talking. She cherished her
and gave her the respect she was due for her 92 years.” Adds Steve,
“When it became clear that Mom was near the end of her life,
I was at peace with that because she was comfortable and taken
care of so well. When Mom died in 2006, our family decided
to make this gift in honor of both my parents.”
“A Mount Sinai pediatrician, my dad was
always focused on the humanity of medicine.”
– STEVEN LEADER
Experiencing what the palliative care approach encompasses,
Barbara and Steven Leader found it “unbelievable” that
“no component is overlooked. There’s even an element
of spirituality.” According to Barbara, “Sure, there are
practical things to provide – tests, medications, and more.
But providing emotional support for the patient, while
meeting the family’s needs too, distinguishes this program
from other fields of medicine.”
The Leaders want others to experience the type of care that
Dr. Sidney Leader hoped would return to medical practice.
By endowing the fellowship, “the fact that we might be able
to influence the growth and expansion of palliative care
is very satisfying,” states Barbara. During Ruby’s final weeks,
she enjoyed sharing cross-generational perspectives with
the fellows and medical students assigned to visit her at home.
“What a great plan – to enable young medical students to
learn from and become comfortable working with the elderly,’’
adds Barbara.
“We came away so impressed,” says Steve, after he, Barbara
and their daughters Jaclyn and Allison recently met the
current fellows. “This program is attracting young physicians
of extraordinary talent.” Adds Barbara, “It makes us optimistic
about the future. How far the field of medicine strayed from
the days Steve’s dad made house calls and took payment in
produce or chickens! Hopefully the circle is closing in the other
direction. It’s a pleasure to affirm our confidence in the
Hertzberg Institute’s success.”

6
Massage Therapy: A Gentle Touch
From left: JD Elder, LMT and Coordinator; Jean Blackman, LMT; Sandra Cherry, LMT; Molly Brooks, LMT; Fran Whelan, LMT; Sharon Houlihan,
LMT; and Deborah Matza, RN and Yoga Coordinator. Volunteers not pictured: Jason Alcantara; Leela Southworth; Andrea Sandahl-Hart
Brought to the Hertzberg Institute by a fortunate confluence of
events, the Massage Therapy Program provides comfort and relief
from stress not only to countless patients, but also to caregivers
and hospital staff. “I had a long career in fitness and sports-related
massage, but I always volunteered in other settings,” says JD Elder,
a Licensed Massage Therapist who now heads the program.
Eight years ago, officers of the Balm Foundation saw the Bill Moyers
PBS television special “On Our Own Terms: A Different Kind
of Care,” featuring the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute. Aware
of massage’s power as a therapeutic intervention for seriously ill
patients, Balm Foundation officers contacted Hertzberg, offering
funds to establish a massage therapy component, reveals Mr. Elder.
“I was asked to become its Coordinator. The Balm Foundation continues
to support us, allowing us to offer our services free of charge.”
“We fully subscribe to the concept of treating
the whole person, not just the illness.”
– JD ELDER, LMT
Augmented by a cadre of seven volunteers, the program has
provided more than 5,500 massages since its inception. According to
Mr. Elder, “For patients, our focus is comfort. Working with people
who suffer from pain, shortness of breath, depression, agitation, or
loneliness, we try to reduce physical and psychological stress. A calm
environment is important. We make certain that the room is quiet.
If patients wish, we play soft music or televised nature scenes.”
Elaborating on why massage therapy and meditation techniques
mesh perfectly with palliative medicine, Mr. Elder adds, “We fully
subscribe to the concept of treating the whole person, not just the
illness. We’re not only treating a heart surgery patient – but a person
who might have a spouse, children, grandchildren, interests.
JD Elder works with our patient, Mr. André
Chervin at the Martha Stewart Center For Living
We have a special fund set up by a donor to purchase magazines
or provide hair styling and manicures. Amenities like these can
improve a patient’s sense of well-being.”
Extolling his volunteers, all Licensed Massage Therapists, JD Elder
describes them as “keenly intelligent and sensitive, caring, loyal,
and with varying specialties.” He coordinates their schedules and
supervises them. “We train them in how to use massage therapy
as a palliative measure, always employing a gentle touch. At the
end of a session, they need to be sure that the call button, TV remote,
tray and telephone are within the patient’s reach.”
Several volunteers who provide massage therapy comment on
their work:
“I continue to learn so much from JD and the staff, as the training is
ongoing. I know I make a difference – with patients, family members,
and caregivers. I always leave with a smile on my face and memories
in my heart.” Sandra Cherry
“People have a view of massage as vigorous, but it can be adapted to
meet all needs. The impact of the tender, compassionate touch we give
to patients is amazing. Touch is an important part of life, especially
for people who are at a crossroads. Caregivers need to be touched, too.”
Sharon Houlihan
“In my early training, I was wrongly taught that massage therapists
could work only on healthy people. Volunteering in palliative care is
the best thing I have done for my professional and personal life. I’ve
learned how profound the experience of a modified massage technique
can be when it is provided with care and compassion.” Molly Brooks
Gratified to head a program that has now been adapted by other
hospitals and by the Visiting Nurse Service, JD Elder comments
on his annual interdisciplinary workshop, where attendance
has grown from 25 to 45 in only three years. “Funding from the
Altman Foundation enabled us to develop this seminar, which is
now supported by the Balm Foundation. We train Licensed Massage
Therapists from all over so that they may branch out to work in
hospital settings with seriously ill patients. They leave our workshop
thinking very differently about massage therapy.”

Research Holds the Power to Improve Palliative Care
“To improve care for people with serious illness, we must do
a far better job of equipping health care professionals with the
knowledge base they need,” insists R. Sean Morrison, MD, Director
of the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) which
is housed at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Focusing on pain
and symptom management and better communication between
clinicians and patients, NPCRC fosters research into new
models and better delivery of palliative care.
“To treat high blood pressure, I have eighty medications. For pain,
a far more prevalent problem, I have only ten, all with side effects,”
says Dr. Morrison, Hermann Merkin Professor of Palliative Care
and Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine. “We have a paucity
of research that can guide doctors on treating shortness of breath
or even fatigue, the most common and distressing symptom in
people with advanced illness.”
Continued funding from the Kornfeld and Olive Branch
Foundations and major new investments from the Brookdale
Foundation and Y.C. Ho /Helen and Michael Chiang Foundation
have allowed the NPCRC to move forward in some major
new initiatives including funding two additional junior faculty
career development awards and a research consultancy program.
Additionally, a recent multi-million dollar grant from the
How Can We Improve Care for Seriously Ill Patients?
Continued from page 1
Dr. Diane Meier holds a family meeting with patient Mr. André Chervin
and his partner Ms. Carola Vecchio
Decrying medical education’s emphasis on machinery and technology,
Dr. Meier is passionate about the need to focus on fundamental
public health issues, preventive medicine, communication skills,
and coordination of care across all settings. Medical and nursing
students “need to spend less time memorizing and more time
learning how to care for and communicate with patients,” she says.
There is substantial progress. Palliative medicine has expanded
greatly during the past 10 years, with 80% of teaching hospitals in
the United States now reporting palliative care programs. Dr. Meier
cautions: “That doesn’t necessarily mean that all the learners are
getting exposure. It wasn’t until last year that our own Mount Sinai
medical students began a mandatory rotation in Palliative Care,
despite our Palliative Care services having existed for 10 years.”
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute 7
National Institute on Aging is enabling Dr.
Morrison, in collaboration with Dr. Knox Todd
of Beth Israel Medical Center, to seek ways to
improve pain management in older adults.
In April the NPCRC awarded its second series
of annual grants. “We were overwhelmed and
excited by the number of qualified applicants
from across the country and thrilled to
fund four junior and two senior investigators,”
reports Dr. Morrison. Projects focus on
R. Sean Morrison, MD
research to improve communication about
symptoms and goals of care among patients, their families, and
doctors. Several center on outpatient palliative care models for
people living in the community with cognitive impairment and pain.
Asked about his drive to conduct and foster research and the
extraordinary number of major grants he continues to receive,
Dr. Morrison replies, “I want to reach the greatest number of
people, to improve care at the highest level. The fact that Palliative
Care clinicians accomplish as much as they do is a testament to
the innovative, committed people who enter this field. Think about
the power they will have when we can supply the evidence base
they need to treat symptoms far more effectively.”
In April 2008 a New York State Council funded by the Legislature
was created to advise the Health Commissioner on ways to improve
training in pain management and palliative care. In a press release
citing the need for the Council, on which Dr. Meier serves, Assembly
Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried stated that “many
physicians do not have adequate or up-to-date education and
training in palliative care and the diagnosis and treatment of pain.”
Ten years ago the Textbook Project assembled teams of health
professionals to scrutinize medical and nursing texts, exposing an
appalling lack of palliative care content. Now, new editions of
major texts in medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and nursing contain
a significant amount of material related to palliative care.
Another giant step forward took place in 2006, when palliative
medicine was recognized as an official medical subspecialty –
just like cardiology or pulmonary medicine. “That greatly legitimizes
its role and presence in medical schools, both from the educational
and research standpoint,” explains Dr. Meier.
“When patients’ needs are not met,” concludes Dr. Meier, “it’s not
usually because physicians or nurses are uncaring or indifferent.
More often, they simply don’t know how to provide what’s needed.
At Mount Sinai we are working to solve this problem by changing the
way we educate our future doctors. As other institutions follow our
lead and infuse palliative care content into the training of every health
professional, we will see a difference in the way medicine is practiced.”

8
Making Life Better by Giving
Having experienced how much palliative care meant to her family,
Zena Wiener, now an active Hertzberg Advisory Board member,
approached Dr. Diane Meier and said: “I’d like to be in your
army and follow you into battle.” “I saluted,” adds Mrs. Wiener,
“and we started to laugh.” Thus began a collaborative relationship
and a continuous outpouring of generosity. The most recent
gift from the Wiener family – one million dollars over the
next five years – will be used toward creating a palliative care
inpatient unit in the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
During both her father’s decline from Alzheimer’s disease and
her sister-in-law’s serious illness, Mrs. Wiener learned that palliative
medicine “is an inclusive discipline that connects family and
patient. It provides incredible care and pain relief; it encompasses
the needs of all members of the family.” She knows that for seriously
ill hospital patients, a palliative care inpatient unit, with private
rooms and an attractive physical environment, can offer optimal
care and comfort.
A dynamic and vibrant force, Mrs. Wiener seeks ways “to take away
the strain of fundraising, to enable Palliative Care at Sinai to help as
many people as possible.” Zena (“Zee”), a classically trained musician
and former teacher, together with her husband Michael A.
Wiener, a retired broadcasting entrepreneur and executive,
have not only provided generous funding for Hertzberg year after
year, but have also organized and sponsored fundraising events.
Hertzberg Highlights
Diane Meier, MD; Jane Brody and Susie West at
the Douglas West Annual Endowed Lecture in
Palliative Care
PHOTO CREDIT: ERIN GLEESON
Kathy A. McMahon, President and CEO, HPCANYS,
presents Susie West with the Ambassador of
Hospice and Palliative Care Award
Recognizing exceptional achievement in clinical research
addressing health care problems of older adults, the
American Geriatrics Association presented its Outstanding
Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award to
R. Sean Morrison, MD. This Award to an investigator involved
in direct patient care was made May 2, 2008, at the Association’s
Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Dr. Morrison addressed the
group on the intersection of palliative care and geriatric medicine.
These include a dinner to acquaint others
with the efficacy of palliative care and its
need for support.
The Wieners rank among the strongest
advocates for Mount Sinai, where Michael
Wiener serves as a Trustee. Among their
major gifts are an endowed chair in cancer,
and funding to establish the Zena and
Michael Wiener Cardiovascular Institute,
Zena Wiener
headed by Dr. Valentin Fuster. “We had the
most devastating experience in 1996, suddenly and tragically losing
our son Gabe,” reveals Mrs. Wiener. “I realized how random life can
be. Living well while I’m here means doing what I can for others.”
The Wieners and their daughter are committed to supporting many
areas, with medicine and education as priorities. In honor of their
son, a classical music producer, they endowed a music library at
Columbia University and provided an organ to Central Synagogue.
“If you can change only one thing, or one person, that person is a
domino and changes another,’’ according to Mrs. Wiener, who
has surely created a large corps of change agents. “If you have any
money to give, give it well – to a place where it will do some good.”
In “helping Dr. Meier and her palliative care program develop
an army of recruits and enhanced facilities,” Zee Wiener knows
she has found the right place.
Speaking at Mount Sinai on May 6, 2008,
New York Times personal health columnist
Jane Brody delivered the Hertzberg Institute’s
12th Annual Douglas West Lecture in
Geriatrics and Palliative Care. Ms. Brody
asked medical professionals to speak frankly
with seriously ill patients and their families
about quality of life and palliative and
advance care planning. The lecture series was
endowed by Susie West in memory of her husband
Douglas.
At its Annual Award Luncheon May 16, 2008,
in Saratoga Springs, the Hospice and Palliative
Care Association of New York State honored
Susie West with its Ambassador of Hospice and Palliative Care
Award. A letter informing Mrs. West of the Award stated: “The
breadth and longevity of your experience as a volunteer is exceptional
and your commitment to supporting the advancement of
palliative care is truly admirable and deeply appreciated.” Mrs. West
has been a full-time volunteer and generous supporter of the
Hertzberg Institute for over ten years.