Good morning!

I hope that this message finds all of you well. What a difficult week it has been for all of us as we prepare our families, communities, patients and facilities for the inevitable arrival of COVID-19. These are scary and uncertain times. What I know for sure is that as hospice and palliative care experts, we have an opportunity to use our skill set in ways we have not done before. Our organizations and colleagues are looking to us for guidance and support and I am confident we will rise to this challenge. My wise friend and chaplain colleague, Robin Colerick-Shinkle, reminded us that we will all be facing decisions and ethical challenges that will go against our moral compass as we work to protect the masses. We will be morally and spiritually wounded and none of us will be quite the same after this. But I am certain that together we will face this head-on and be better together. 

As many of you are likely aware, CAPC released a palliative care COVID-19 toolkit. It is free and you have permission to disperse. These are excellent, evidence-based tools. Just go to capc.org to find the materials!

I am sad to say that our May meeting will not occur. As we are all busy dealing with the pandemic, we don't have the capacity to plan and coordinate our next gathering. Please be on the alert for correspondence from Midwest HPNA regarding new officers, voting and meeting announcements. Our next meeting will take place sometime in August. If things improve and we are allowed to gather sooner, a self-care gathering may be necessary! 

Stay well. Take care of each other. Whatever your spiritual practice...practice it. We will get through this!

Sincerely,

Janelle Williamson, NP-C, ACHPN

President, Midwest HPNA