Recordings from Spring 2024 Palliative Care Series

Session 1: Patient Self-Determination: Same Dog, New Twists

Presented by Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C – Executive Director & Clinical Ethicist, Vermont Ethics Network; Clinical Ethicist, UVM Medical Center

Learning objectives:

• Articulate recent modifications to the Vermont Advance Directive Statute per passage of Act 88
• Appreciate the ethical and legal frameworks within which patient self-determination occurs
• Apply shared decision-making principles to advance care planning conversations and documents

This session was recorded via Zoom on May 22, 2024.

Session 2: Medical Aid in Dying: A Truth-telling Imperative

Presented by Diana Barnard, MD – Palliative Medicine, Porter Medical Center

Learning objectives:

• Describe the eligibility for participation in Medical Aid in Dying
• Describe the importance of honest and uncertain prognostic information for patients living with terminal illness

This session was recorded via Zoom on May 29, 2024.

Session 3: Inside the Mind of a Hospice Director: 10 Things Hospice Providers Wished You Knew

Presented by Cristine Maloney, MD, HMDC – Medical Director of Palliative Care and Hospice at Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire (VNH)

Learning objectives:

• Name at least 2 medications that are preferred for hospice patients
• Name at least 2 procedures that are ideally performed prior to hospice admission

This session was recorded via Zoom on June 5, 2024.

Session 4: Guardianship: Not the Holy Grail for Medical Decision-Making

Presented by Honorable Jeffery Kilgore, Superior Court Probate Division, Washington County & Honorable Kathryn Kennedy, Superior Court Probate Division, Orange County

Learning objectives:

• Determine whether it is appropriate to the file for guardianship.
• Determine if it is an emergency filing and the requirements therein, and
• What happens after the petition is filed pursuant to the Laws and Rules in the State of Vermont.

This session was recorded via Zoom on June 10, 2024.