(Clearwater) Empath Health will join a nationwide project and host a community event at the Highpoint Community Center, 5812 150th Ave., N., Clearwater, FL 33760 on April 7 at 6:30 pm to engage Spanish-speaking communities in important conversations about medical decision making. The event, featuring the conversation toolkit from The Conversation Project, will provide information about how to prepare for future decisions about serious and critical health issues.

Karen Davis-Pritchett, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Empath Health said, “Suncoast Hospice and the members of Empath Health recognize the importance of advance care planning. We are committed to providing resources to assist in these important conversations for all of our community members and are honored to host this event”

The advance care planning topic can be difficult, but it is a necessary one to discuss. This community event will bring people together for a group discussion about living well and quality end-of-life care. Participants will receive information about medical decision-making, advance directives they may choose to complete, and access to a pre-paid project notary if they would like to notarize their advance directives. This event is a first step to advance care planning, and every participant will leave prepared to continue the conversation and take important steps to ensure their end-of-life care goals are known.

The Conversation Project event is part of a large national, NIH-research study funded by NIH and led by Lauren Jodi Van Scoy, M.D. at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, through her research program, Project Talk. Hospice Foundation of America and the University of Kentucky are partners on the project. Participants who opt-in to participate will receive up to $65 in gift cards for their time.

Learning how best to engage individuals in advance care planning is crucial to improving access to high quality of care later in life or during a medical emergency. Empath Health will help the residents of Clearwater and surrounding areas think about their care goals and preferences and document them, so they can be honored and respected by family members and healthcare providers.

For more information on the event, contact Maria Pepe, Empath Health community partnership specialist at MariaPepe@EmpathHealth.org or call (727) 479-7071.

ABOUT EMPATH HEALTH

Empath Health is the country’s largest not-for-profit health system delivering non-acute care and services through its skilled, medical and holistic programs to individuals with chronic, advanced and terminal illnesses and those experiencing grief. We were created in 2021 through the merger of two leading nonprofit, integrated networks of care: Empath Health, serving the Tampa Bay region, and Stratum Health System, serving Southwest Florida. The Empath Health integrated network of care provides expert medical, counseling and support services including hospice; home health; palliative care; grief services; all-inclusive elder care; HIV/STI prevention, services and support; primary care; and physician services. Empath Health serves more than 12,000 people a day, creating a bridge between chronic, advanced and terminal care and providing seamless integration based on individual needs. Collectively, we have nearly 90 years of experience serving individuals during some of their most vulnerable times. Our wide variety of community-based programs reflects our commitment to the preservation of our charitable mission.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit NIH.gov.