Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion. SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.

By Michelle Collins PhD, CNM

This week’s episode contained themes that were not unique to 1950′s London. As I watched, I tried to pick up on the common thread between the stories. I must admit I was rather clueless until the narration at the end, at which point the light bulb turned on. The narrator spoke the words “Home is not simply a mark upon a map anymore than a river is just water. It is the place at the center of the compass from which every arrow radiates and where the heart is fixed. It is a force that forever draws us back, or lures us on. For where the home is, there lies hope and the future waits and everything is possible. ”

Hence the tie-in with the young black woman who was far from her own home; the son who came home to visit, pretentious young fiancé in tow;  and his parent’s story of an abusive marriage, all sublimely tied together by Chummy’s return from Africa. Having moved a few times in my adult married life, I have learned, as I am sure many of you have, that home truly is wherever those whom you love the most are. It does not matter where the physical structure, or what city or even country we are in. Home is not as much a place as it is a feeling.

Along these lines, we also saw in this episode the theme of not treating those we love the most with the most precious of care. Indulge me as I call this the “good towels” phenomenon. To explain, when I was growing up, my mother reserved the pretty, barely worn coordinating towels — the “good towels” — for when guests came to our home. When I left home I did the same, reserving my own “good towels” for those cherished, unnamed guests who would be “worthy” of them. Recently, I was doing some cleaning and came across a well-worn box, battered from several moves. Inside the box was a pristine set of beautifully intact bath towels, each piece preserved to look as if they had just come off of the department store shelf. The decor they were purchased to match had long since been changed, and though they looked new, the style was dated. I laughed at the thought of how these towels that I had so carefully conserved and carried from home to home, reserved for some unnamed guests who were “good towel” worthy (who had apparently never appeared in my home), could have been put to good use for the most precious of those in my home — my own family. Those towels serve as a reminder to me that the best part of who we are, (our “good towel behavior” so to speak) should be reserved, yes, but not for esteemed visitors who come in and out of our lives, but for those whom we should cherish above all – those whom make up our “home”.

L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz penned these immortal words which Dorothy proclaimed at the end of the movie:  “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”

Michelle Collins PhD, CNM, is an Associate Professor of Nursing, Director Nurse-Midwifery Program, at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.

Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion. SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.

By Margaret Buxton MSN CNM

The words of Call the Midwife author Jenny W0rth narrating the last minutes of this episode are so beautiful:

The world is full of love that goes unspoken. It doesn’t mean that it is felt less deeply or that separation leaves a cleaner wound. Its beauty and its pain are in its silence.

I could not help but weep at the poignant portrayal of a family torn apart by disease (Tuberculosis or TB) who find healing in time to say goodbye to a father and welcome to a new grandchild. Tuberculosis is an infectious illness that takes over the lungs, leading to death if not treated. It is spread through droplets in the air when an infected person coughs, so being in small apartments in close quarters with many increases that chances of spreading wildly.

The community’s excitement over the “x-ray van” to screen for TB was interesting. Pregnant women were told that this would not pose a threat to their baby and were lined up to go in. We now know that x-rays are not recommended in pregnancy due to the exposure of the fetus. In that era, it is likely that being screened for TB outweighed the small risk to their pregnancy. We now screen for TB with a simple test of the skin on the forearm, and that screening is safe during pregnancy.

The birth in this episode made me smile. Having a baby in the reclining position sometimes makes it easier to “catch” that baby as he comes out, but it is not always what women prefer. Standing or kneeling, bent forward at the waist is actually a very physiologically superior way to push a baby out – using gravity and freeing up the pelvis to open ideally. I love that Julie, in her newness to birth, did what felt right to her and politely ignored Jenny’s request to get off the floor. Jenny had to do what I have done many times before, which is get down on my hands and knees and prepare to catch the baby the way the mom wants to push it out. This is one of many things that midwives do well!

Margaret Buxton, MSN CNM, is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Instructor of Nursing, Vanderbilt School of Nursing and Clinical Practice Director, West End Women’s Health Center.

Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.

Missed an episode? Watch full episodes on NPT’s “Watch Now” Video Portal here.

Think you’ve got special roots? Have some hidden gems in your family’s history? A New PBS series, GENEALOGY ROADSHOW wants to know. The show will shoot in Nashville on JUNE 30, and its producers are looking for local residents with interesting stories for the national broadcast. Everything you need to know is below.  Visit http://www.wnpt.org/grshow to sign yourself up for consideration.

NASHVILLE, TN; May 2, 2013 — PBS and Nashville Public Television (NPT) are proud to announce today that a new series GENEALOGY ROADSHOW, which premieres nationally this fall, is seeking local participants to share their families’ stories. Final participants will be part of an episode taping in Nashville on Sunday, June 30.  Part detective story, part emotional journey, GENEALOGY ROADSHOW will combine history and science to uncover fascinating stories of diverse Americans. The producers are looking for Nashville-area residents who have (or believe they have) a historically significant story in their family. Chosen stories will be researched by a team of local experts, and will be linked to the larger community history, revealing the rich cultural tapestry of Nashville and America.  Individuals with interesting stories are encouraged to submit them online through the NPT website at wnpt.org/grshow.

GENEALOGY ROADSHOW’s premiere season feature participants from four American cities —Nashville, Austin, San Francisco and Detroit — who want to explore unverified genealogical claims passed down through family histories that may (or may not) connect them to an event or an historical figure. These cities were chosen as American crossroads of culture, diversity, industry and history with deep pools of potential participants and stories.  The Nashville episode, which will be filmed before a live audience, will air this fall (specific air dates will be announced later).

Nashville is a vibrant cultural crossroad in the American South. While it is the capital of country music and a centerpiece of Civil War history, it’s known for much more. The city rose to prominence within the shipping industry, and its post-Civil War prosperity led to an explosion in architecture, education and the arts. Its abundant opportunities led to population swells of Mexican, Cambodian and Iraqi immigrants.  Nashville’s Jewish community laid roots in the area more than 150 years ago and an influx of Kurdish immigrants in recent years has given the city its new nickname of “Little Kurdistan.”

“Nashville is a natural fit for GENEALOGY ROADSHOW. The city’s southern hospitality, rich background, and historical roots date back to its dominance as a major shipping port where people from all over came to sell their goods,” said executive producer Stuart Krasnow.  “We’re looking for a diverse mix of stories from locals who want to know more about their history.”

“I am delighted that Nashville was chosen to be a part of GENEALOGY ROADSHOW, and that the producers will explore the amazing personal, historical and communal stories we have here,” said Beth Curley, president and CEO of NPT.  “We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to connect to our community, and we encourage locals to go to wnpt.org/grshow and submit their story to be a part of this great show.”

After participants are chosen, genealogy, history and DNA experts will use family heirlooms, letters, pictures, historical documents and other clues to hunt down more information. These experts will enlist the help of local historians to add color and context to the investigations, ensuring every artifact and every name becomes a clue in solving the mystery.  Nashville residents are invited and encouraged to submit their personal stories as GENEALOGY ROADSHOW will unearth family and community secrets, reveal notable relatives and discover unexpected stories that connect the past to the present. Many answers will be revealed on camera before a local audience, in a historic building relevant to the cities’ – and the participants’ – histories.

GENEALOGY ROADSHOW is produced by Krasnow Productions. President and owner Stuart Krasnow is a long-time television industry veteran, having worked for all of the country’s top broadcasters in news and entertainment, as well as at numerous cable networks as a creator and executive producer. It is represented in the U.S. by Pat Quinn of Quinn Media Management and packaged with PBS by APA.

THE GENEALOGY ROADSHOW has been a huge hit in Ireland, where national public broadcaster RTE commissioned this original format from producer Big Mountain Productions.

About Big Mountain Productions

Big Mountain originated the Genealogy Roadshow format which is in its second season in Ireland on RTE Television.  Run by husband-and-wife team Jane Kelly and Philip McGovern, who are former BBC/RTE executive producers, Big Mountain originates and produces television shows for national broadcasters, specializing in hybrid shows that combine great content and entertainment value including: The Tenements, Life in the Big House, Craftmaster, Living the Eviction and the music-mentoring show Jam.  For more information: bigmountainproductions.com

About Krasnow Productions

Krasnow Productions is named for its founder and president, Stuart Krasnow, a 30-year veteran television producer.  Under his banner, Krasnow has developed and produced series in almost every genre of unscripted television for broadcast and cable networks, including The Weakest Link, Average Joe, Dog Eat Dog and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.  Krasnow Productions also sold and produced Searching For…, one of the first original series to be produced for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network.   Additionally Krasnow Productions has sold and produced original projects for NBC, A&E, TBS, GSN, MTV, HGTV, E!, and Fremantlemedia.

Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion.  SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.

By Michelle Collins PhD, CNM

I have generally been very excited to pen my thoughts after watching each episode, but I must say there was a growing level of trepidation as I approached writing this week’s blog. The story line centered on Nora (Sharon Small), a mother of 8 at what we lovingly call today “advanced maternal age,” who finds herself pregnant with her ninth child. Living amidst poverty, in a two-room rat-infested public housing flat, she struggles with the palpable, agonizing realization of bringing yet another mouth to feed into her family. From a place of sheer desperation, she attempts to abort the baby using the various means available in a 1950′s non-legalized abortion environment – herbal preparations given her by the local lay abortion provider, ingestion of epsom salts, turpentine, even attempting to physically injure herself. I wonder how many of you felt the same cold chill when her husband handed her the package with the knitting needles and crochet hook that she had sent him to purchase.

The issue of elective termination has been debated since the dawn of time – literally. Ancient Chinese women used mercury as an abortifacient, while Greek women partook of the herb pennyroyal to induce abortion. Midwives have long stood on both sides of the issue as well. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we read about two midwives who had some real moxy for women of their time (considering that disagreeing with the reigning ruler usually bought you a one way ticket to the executioner). When the reigning Pharaoh began to get a bit nervous that the growing Hebrew population was producing too many future warriors who could potentially rise up against him, he called two Hebrew midwives to his court. Shiprah and Puah, as they were named, were commanded by the Pharaoh that when they attended births, if the baby was a male, they were to kill it at the time of birth. Well, that didn’t sit so well for this God-fearing dynamic duo. They went their way and blatantly disobeyed the Pharaoh. When they were hauled back into his court and questioned as to their disobedience, they told, well, a slight white lie in that they reported that the Hebrew women were unlike the delicate Egyptian women; the Hebrew women were hearty and had always given birth by the time the midwives had arrived. Therefore, there was no way to kill the baby at that point and make it look like a stillbirth. Call it naiveté, or the hand of providence, but the Pharaoh let them go their own way, and as Paul Harvey used to say “now you know the rest of the story.” Exodus records that it is because of their actions that the midwives found favor with God.

As was true in the episode, nurses, physicians, and midwives are often caught in ethical situations where personal morals and convictions are put to the test. It’s fairly easy sometimes to “armchair quarterback” someone else’s life and prescribe what is right and wrong. When you are placed smack in the middle of that person’s life situation — amidst the pain and the angst and despair — it can honestly all become a bit fuzzy. As noted at the end of this episode, “Nora’s life was saved by doctors who asked no questions… .”

Michelle Collins PhD, CNM, is an Associate Professor of Nursing, Director Nurse-Midwifery Program, at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.

NPT, together with Nashville and country music lovers everywhere — and all music lovers, really — mourn today the passing of legend George Jones at age 81. Much will be written and said about Jones today and in the days and weeks ahead, but one of the first things we thought of this morning when learning of his passing was the artist Wayne White’s sculpture/installation Big Lectric to Keep Me Cool While I Sleep, which he installed in the Rice Gallery in Houston in the Fall of 2009. The image of the installation is still fresh in our minds from the Neil Berkeley-directed documentary, Beauty is Embarrassing, which screened at the Nashville Film Festival in 2012 and eventually aired on Independent Lens. In the doc, White talks of “the world’s largest George Jones head” in the context of bringing humor into fine art. And it definitely is humorous and fun. But it’s also reverential and a lovely tribute to Jones.

The title of the piece, Big Lectric to Keep Me Cool While I Sleep,  comes from Jones’ song, “Ragged but Right,” which White says was stuck in his head while visiting Houston in the summer. “I kept thinking of hot Houston nights before air conditioning and the young George Jones in this city – full of crazy artistic passion and making music history,” said White in the Rice Gallery’s press materials. The installation includes a twenty-two-foot puppet head resembling a young, flat-topped Jones, circa 1950. The massive head sits sleeping on its side, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling, billboard-style lettering. “It’s a roadside attraction, a museum relic of a lost world, and a big, weird toy still in its box,” said White.

Visitors to the installation could pull a rope that opened the sculpture’s mouth, from which came a blast of cool, refreshing air. That was Jones’ voice. The very embodiment of a broken heart — Jim Lauderdale referred to him as the “King of Broken Hearts” in the tribute song he wrote for George Strait and Lee Ann Womack to sing — comforting our own broken hearts. Then and now.

To mark the conclusion of Holocaust Remembrance Month 2013, Nashville Public Television (NPT) and The Tennessee Holocaust Commission (THC) will present a special free online social screening of the NPT original documentary “Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust” on Thursday, May 2 at 12:00 noon CDT. The screening with be presented with the new public media platform OVEE and accessible by visiting https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/abr0d.

Attendees can arrive early and set up a user account, login with Facebook or login anonymously.

Joining the screening online will be Rob Heller, photographer of the “Living On” exhibit the documentary is based on, Will Pedigo, the film’s producer, and Danielle Kahane-Kaminsky, executive director of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

“Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust”) follows the Tennessee Holocaust Commission (THC) in its efforts to interview and photograph all survivors and liberators of the Holocaust currently living in Tennessee. The one-hour documentary presents the powerful testimony of Tennessee’s survivors and liberators as they remember the tragedy, loss and shock of the Holocaust.

OVEE is an exciting new public media social screening platform for watching your favorite PBS and local public television programs together, from anywhere, on demand. Now in beta, participants get to be on the front end of public media innovation and new technology, all meant to bring you the best content and encourage discussion across multiple platforms. Or, basically, wherever you are and however you like! Learn more at http://ovee.itvs.org.

Online OVEE Social Screening of
“Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust
Thursday, May 2 at 12:00 p.m.
Location:
https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/abr0d

Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion.  SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.

By Margaret Buxton MSN CNM

Jenny (Jessica Raine) felt invincible in her uniform, floating above the complex problems of East London. Each episode of this second season seems to pull off a layer of her innocence and reveal the development of her character. That was certainly the case when she met Ruby (Leanne Rowe) and helped her birth a long-awaited son with a birth defect. Before high resolution ultrasounds, many women would give birth to babies with special needs and have no preparation at all. Ruby, fixated on her own beauty and the illusion of perfection in her life, was not prepared to receive a son with a spinal defect (known as spina bifida) that is associated with lower limb paralysis. Jenny not only faced the difficult task of relaying the news, but she also assumed the role of caregiver to this new baby and the entire family.

As a modern midwife, I assume the role of supportive provider, and while I care about the how the family is doing, I am not the one looking after the siblings and making meals in the home. I watched with a certain fascination and nostalgia as Jenny assumed this role, knowing full well that this is a true depiction of what the midwives at Nonnatus house were actually doing for the families of East London in the 1950s. The conclusion of the story was bitter sweet – the mother and father came close to giving him up but instead turned toward this innocent baby and decided to care for him. Jenny’s willingness to stay the course and walk with them through this difficult adjustment without judgement is the highlight of this episode. She absorbed all the elements of this unfolding story, never giving up hope for the child and for his parents.

Sidenote: The cause of spina bifida is now known to be associated with a lack of folic acid; getting enough folic acid (at least 400micrograms daily) before getting pregnant is associated with a much lower risk of spina bifida. Any woman considering pregnancy should make sure that she is getting the recommended amount of folic acid daily.

Margaret Buxton, MSN CNM, is  a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Instructor of Nursing, Vanderbilt School of Nursing and Clinical Practice Director, West End Women’s Health Center.

Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.

Missed an episode? Watch full episodes on NPT’s “Watch Now” Video Portal here.

The Nashville Film Festival may not begin until tomorrow, but one award has already been announced. We have chosen “Remote Area Medical,” directors Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman’s document of the annual three day “pop-up”  medical clinic organized by the non-profit Remote Area Medical (RAM) at the Bristol, Tennessee NASCAR speedway, as the 2013 recipient of the NPT Human Spirit Award.

The NPT Human Spirit Award, presented each year by NPT to a Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) documentary selection, acknowledges a filmmaker’s work that best explores and captures the human spirit. The film must illuminate in a high artistic manner the important characteristics of what it means to be human: generosity, kindness, mercy, compassion, fortitude and honor. The award will be presented prior to screening of the film at the Nashville Film Festival, Sunday, April 21, 4:15 p.m. at Regal Green Hills 16 Cinemas.

“‘Remote Area Medical’ hits close to home, capturing and communicating what it means to be human today, in Tennessee.” said the jury in a joint statement. “Doctors and Nurses who once flew to Central and South America to care for people with no access to basic health care now find they don’t even need to leave the U.S. to find those people. They can find them right here in our home state. This is a beautiful, moving and ultimately troubling film that viewers will be thinking about long after it’s over.”

The NPT Human Spirit Award jury is Kevin Crane, VP of programming and technology; Sheila Fischer, Corporate and Community Development Manager; Justin Harvey, program manager; Brian O’Neill, director of brand management and creative services; Linda Wei, producer.

“We are tremendously excited to receive an award like this in Tennessee, the state where our film takes place,” said Reichert. “We wanted REMOTE AREA MEDICAL to honor the resilience, resourcefulness, kindness and spirit of the great folks we met from Mountain City, Bristol, Kingsport, Rogersville and more, and we’d like to dedicate this NPT Human Spirit Award to everyone from the region who graciously invited us into their lives for a little while.”

The NPT Human Spirit Award comes with Nashville Public Television’s intention to broadcast the film so that others may celebrate the generous role that great filmmaking plays in our lives. Previous winners of the NPT Human Spirit Award are “Salaam Dunk” (Dir. David Fine, 2012); “Fambul Talk” (Dir. Sara Terry, 2011) “Raw Faith” (Dir. Peter Wiedensmith, 2010); “Crude” (Dir. Joe Berlinger, 2009); “Sons of Lwala” (Dir. Barry Simmons, 2008); and “The Clinton 12” (Dir. Keith McDaniel, 2007).

The 44th Nashville Film Festival takes place April 18-25, 2013 at the Regal Green Hills 16 Cinemas.

Remote Area Medical | Jeff Reichert & Farihah Zaman from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Like they did last season, we are happy to have the faculty of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing back to guest blog for us each Monday morning about the previous night’s episode of Season 2 of Call the Midwife, airing on Sundays on NPT and PBS Stations nationwide at 7:00 p.m. Central, March 31-May 19. Check in here every Monday morning for the next six weeks for historical and contemporary context on the show, and some fun discussion.  SPOILER ALERT: Some may contain spoilers, so please be aware of that.

By Michelle Collins PhD, CNM

I do really enjoy the screenwriting of this series, in large part because of the masterful way stories are woven together to illustrate a particular theme. Sometimes the themes are subtle, and sometimes more overt, as in this week’s episode. The episode centered on the human bond – between the twin sisters, between the nun and her God, and between star-crossed lovers. As the narrator profoundly stated in the final minutes, “sometimes only when bonds are tested do we understand their strength. There are ties that endure for a lifetime no matter how frayed by fate. We can walk away and pretend to forget them; pain passes in the end. Or we can step into the future, blessed and stronger than before because when faced with change our love held fast and did not break. Our lives were not severed but woven anew, and our joy not halved, but doubled.”

There is inherent risk when human bonds are tested; risks that relationships will not survive, or that they will survive, but be forever altered. As we know, life and love is not without risk. Yet it is the often the fruit of the greatest risks we take in life and love that yield the greatest rewards in our lives. Not taking risks in love is always an option, of course, but one risks missing out on those experiences which enrich our lives and help us grow to our full potential as human beings. Noted author Leo Buscaglia said of this:

To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To hope is to risk pain.
To try is to risk failure, But risk must be taken,
Because the greatest hazard in life Is to risk nothing

Another interesting sidebar you may have picked up on in this episode was the treatment,  or rather mistreatment, of nurses, as displayed by the surgeon, Mr. Tracy (Anthony Calf). Thank goodness nursing has come a long way since the 1950′s! Indulge me to share a few facts about nursing in the 1950′s:

• Nurses did not take blood pressures; that was considered medical practice.
• When physicians arrived  on the hospital units, nurses were required to stand and give up their chairs to them, and were even expected to open doors for them.
• Nurses could not inform a patient about the medicine they were passing to them, or even tell them what their vital signs were; that was left only to the doctor to “inform” the patient. Only physicians could administer intravenous medications. Nurses were seen as subordinate to physicians, and often treated with disrespect. We’ve certainly come a long way baby!

Lastly, a few quick verbiage points that you may have picked up on just for clarification (in case they perked your ears…) What we might refer to as the head nurse or charge nurse in the US is referred to a matron of nursing in the UK. You may have also noted the fairly obnoxious surgeon being referred to as “Mr. Tracy” rather than “Dr. Tracy;” “Mr.” being the customary title for surgeons in the UK. The other British term used was in reference to the “theatre,” which is the operating room.

Michelle Collins PhD, CNM, is an Associate Professor of Nursing, Director Nurse-Midwifery Program, at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

Missed our analysis of the Previous Season’s Episodes? Read them here.

Our friends at Alive Hospice, who deal with end-of-life issues every day, can tell you why you should tune in to our special NPT Reports: Town Hall: End-of-Life Decisions much better than we can. So we’ll just leave it to them. From their blog:

It’s like the old saying goes: Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. April 15 is tax day, so it’s only fitting that April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a time to think about our wishes for care at the end of life.

To give you a head start, Alive Hospice and Nashville Public Television will bring you a special program all about advance care planning. Tune in to WNPT Channel 8 on April 11 at 9 p.m. for an in-depth town hall discussion about this important topic. You won’t want to miss it!

The conversation will focus on three major questions:

• What do we say we want at the end of life, and what actually happens?
• What are our options for care at the end of life?
• How can we make sure the end of life is what we want it to be?

Each of us can have a say in the care we receive at the end of life, but we have to speak up. This Thursday, we’ll help you start the conversation. Be sure to watch!

Special thanks to Alive Hospice for partnering with us on the Town Hall and for helping us get the conversation going.