KCH Discusses the Importance of End of Life Decisions

Kona Community Hospital is hosting “Do You Need to Learn about End of life Care,” a presentation about palliative care on Monday, October 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Kona Community Hospital’s Conference Room 2. The expert panel includes representatives from community organizations and the topics will cover hospital care, hospice services, home health, cultural aspects of death, facing the facts of terminal illness, and what to expect when you dial 911.

“There are many myths and misconceptions out there that we want to address,” Dr. Edwin Gramlich, Kona Community Hospital Medical Director and Palliative Care Initiative Coordinator, stated, “This forum will provide vital information and is a great example of the collaboration between our various health care organizations as it applies to palliative and end of life care.”

KCH’s Palliative Care Initiative is a multi-disciplinary team with the goal of providing services to help patients manage symptoms, relieve pain, plan medical treatment and achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families by drawing upon the various resources available in our community. Although at its beginning phase, a top priority is to provide community education about end of life care that many people do not want to talk about or even think about.

The dinner presentation is free and open to the entire community. Please contact 322-6960 or ebryant@hhsc.org to reserve your space.

Founded in 1914, Kona Community Hospital is a 94-bed full-service hospital with 24-hour emergency services that supports the west region of the island of Hawaii. It is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a special agency of the state of Hawaii established in 1996. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Kona Community Hospital is dedicated to providing and enhancing accessible comprehensive healthcare services to the West Hawaii community.