What Can I Do? 5 Ways to Promote Advance Care Planning

Download "5 Ways to Promote Advance Care Planning" Factsheet

View Dr. Bomba's Presentation

View Dr. Sullivan's Presentation

View Ms. Chambers' Presentation

ACP Resources

The devastation wreaked on families by the fast-moving COVID-19 has shown us how vital conversations about patients’ end-of-life care wishes can be before the onset of serious illness. Unfortunately, only 27% of Americans have formally documented their wishes.

Led by NYAM’s Center for Healthy Aging, this event explored barriers to creating advance care plans (ACPs) and innovative solutions to simplify the ACP process, with a focus on African American communities.

This was the first program of our “What Can I Do?” series where we discuss practical solutions and actions people can take today to address issues of health and health equity raised during the coronavirus pandemic.

About the Speakers:

Brittany Chambers, MPH, MCHES®, is Associate Director of Education at CAPC, the Center to Advance Palliative Care (an affiliate of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) in New York City. Brittany manages the program operations team within the education department responsible for developing and delivering virtual training events for more than 85,000 health professionals. She is co-chair of the planning committee and health equity lead for the annual CAPC National Seminar. Her previous responsibilities included project managing the development of CAPC’s online clinical curriculum. She received her Master of Public Health degree from Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health. Brittany also serves in a leadership role on the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) Division Board for Professional Development.

Martha Adams Sullivan, DSW, MA, is Executive Director of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. Dr. Sullivan oversees one of the largest state-operated psychiatric hospital centers in NYS, which includes inpatient, residential and outpatient services. Previously, she served as New York Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur’s Executive Director, and as Deputy Commissioner of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, overseeing chemical dependency, mental health promotion and community liaison programs. Dr. Sullivan is the Founder and Chair of the Citywide Behavioral Health Coalition for Black Elders, Inc. Dr. Sullivan holds a master’s degree from the Silberman School of Social Work of Hunter College at CUNY where she also has served as an adjunct professor. She earned a Doctor of Social Welfare degree from CUNY Graduate School. Dr. Sullivan is a Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine and vice-chair of the Healthy Aging Section.

Patricia Bomba, MD, MACP, a nationally & internationally recognized palliative care/end-of-life expert, currently serves as Vice President & Medical Director, Geriatrics for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Dr. Bomba serves as Program Director for NY's Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) & eMOLST & chairs the National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) NY Coalition. She is a founding member of the National POLST Paradigm, NY representative on the National POLST Plenary Assembly & chairs the Federal Public Policy Committee. She served on the Institute of Medicine’s Committee that produced Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness.

Dr. Bomba has 40 years of experience as a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, including a decade of experience in nursing home work, while managing a private practice focused on frail older adults and patients with multiple co-morbidities. She served as a medical director and the primary physician for 90% of residents in a 2 levels of care 160-bed nursing home where she developed the first physician-nurse practitioner team model in 1983. She served on the board of two Post-Acute Long-Term Care systems and is an active emeritus board member. She is passionately focused on educating the medical community and the public with a goal of improving the quality of life for seniors.