EPEC (October 8-9, 2004)

Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care
October 8-9, 2004, Hilo, Hawai`i

EPEC: What It Is
Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) is a curriculum developed at the American Medical Association to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals on fundamental palliative and end-of-life skills including:

• Managing Pain and Symptoms
• Withholding/Withdrawing Treatment
• Communicating Bad News
• Managing Anxiety, Delirium, Depression
• Negotiating Goals of Care
• Medical Futility
• Ethical Decision Making
• Legal Issues in End-of-Life Care

EPEC: Why It’s Needed
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that end-of-life care in the U.S. remains ‘woefully inadequate’. The study found that:

• One in four people who died did not receive enough pain medication and sometimes received none at all.
• One in two patients did not receive sufficient emotional support. This was 1.3 times more likely in the case in an
  institution.
• One in four respondents expressed concern over physician communication and treatment decisions.
• Twenty-one percent complained that the dying person was not always treated with respect. Compared with a home setting, this was three times higher in a hospital.

In a similar vein, the Final Report of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Living and Dying with Dignity observed:

• Most die in acute care facilities receiving care that is aggressively administered. Sometimes the result is additional suffering and indignity.
• The evidence of over-treatment is compelling. Often the care the dying receive is, in reality, a heroic attempt to prolong life for relatively short periods.
• Healthcare providers rarely recommend an acceptance of death even when it is clearly the most rational decision.
• Hospice care is not considered often or early enough

Faculty for the Hilo EPEC

Daniel Fischberg, MD, PhD

Medical Director, Dept. of Pain and Symptom Mgmt., The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu

Faculty, John Burns School of Medicine

Board Certified in Palliative & Pain Medicine

Master EPEC Trainer

Leonard Howard, MD

OB-Gyn, Retired

Director of EPEC in Hawaii

Terry Melvin, MD

Medical Director Hospice of Chattanooga

Instructor, Department of Internal and Family Medicine, University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University

Ethics Committee, National Hospice Org

Paul Rousseau, MD

Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics & Extended Care, Director of Palliative Care, VA Medical Center, Phoenix

Faculty, Arizona State University

Board Certified in Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine

Sponsors reserve the right to cancel or reschedule programs, and to change faculty or contents of program due to unforeseen circumstances

Hawaii Naniloa Resort
The EPEC conference site is the Hawaii Naniloa Resort.

Hilo Hospitality

The Hilo area offers an array of comfortable and attractive hotel and B&B accommodations plus an abundance of fashionable restaurants replete with fine-dining experiences.

Conference attendees and their families will find numerous shopping and recreational opportunities—from museums and art galleries to volcano and rainforest excursions.

Continuing Education Units

For Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Hilo Medical Center and Hospice of Hilo. Hilo Medical Center is accredited by the Hawaii Medical Association (HMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Hilo Medical Center designates this educational activity for a maximum of (12) category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits he/she actually spent in the educational activity. For information please call Jayna L. Weatherwax 808-974-4739.

For Nurses: AFSCME is approved to provide continuing education by the Hawaii Nurses Association Continuing Education Committee, appointed by the Hawaii Nurses Association Board of Directors as approvers of continuing education in nursing.

AFSCME requires all organizations and/or sponsors that charge a fee to give a full refund in cases of course cancellation. However, no refunds will be given in cases of non-attendance by the registrant.

Any statements made, or products displayed, by vendors are at the sole discretion of the vendors and are not necessarily endorsed by the CE provider. The number of approved CEUs is pending.

For Social Workers: This training has been approved by the National Association of Social Workers – Hawaii Chapter for 12 continuing education units.

CONFERENCE EXCURSIONS

Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Adventure
Island Outfitters

For EPEC delegates, family members and guests who are interested in a Mauna Kea Stargazing trip, we are pleased to provide the following information and contact associated with Island Outfitters, a Big Island adventure tour company. Please make your reservations independently. Reservations will not be taken through the conference registration. Enjoy the experience!

Contact Information
Tom McAuliffe – Isle Hike Outfitters
Phone (toll-free) 800-840-9974
Local (808) 966-7933
Fax (808) 966-6931
Email: islehike@aloha.com
Address: PO Box 4441, Hilo, Hawai’i 96720

Cost
$100.00 per person.
Methods of payment include credit card, travelers check, cash.

Deposit/Minimus/Cancellations
A $50.00 deposit is required to confirm your reservation
A 72-hour cancellation policy is in effect to insure refund
A minimum of 7-passsengers is required to confirm trip
A maximum of 20 participants will be accepted

Trip Description
Depart Naniloa Hotel at 3:00 p.m. in an air-conditioned 4-wheel drive 15-passenger van. After stops at 6,000 feet and 9,300 feet to acclimate to altitude we proceed to the nearly 14,000 feet summit of Mauna Kea to view a spectacular sunset above the clouds. Here we begin to understand why this is considered the world’s premier site for astronomical observation. A total of 12 international observatories are located here, the highest concentration on a single summit anywhere, proves this to be true. After sunset we return to the visitor center at 9,300 feet for stargazing in a more comfortable atmosphere. Here astronomers are on hand with telescopes to help you comprehend the unrivaled view of the heavens. A small museum and gift shop are located at the Elison Onizuka Visitor Center. After several hours of stargazing we are ready to return to the hotel by 11:00 p.m.

Advisory
Due to extreme altitude this trip is not advised for those in poor health, pregnant or heart and respiratory conditions. Scuba divers should be aware of dangers associated with altitude and children under 16 are not permitted. Weather conditions understandably cannot be guaranteed.

Time
The entire tour is scheduled for 8-hour total, including acclimation and drive time. Departure is at 3:00 p.m. returning around 11:00 p.m.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP)

Field Excursion

Date: Sunday, October 10th, 2004
Departure: 8:30am
Return: 3:30pm
Cost: $75 per person (Adults and Children 11 years and older)
Lunch and cold drinks included
Minimum Number: 12
Maximum Number: 23

The University reserves the right to cancel the trip should the minimum number of participants not be achieved.

Trip Description
Discover the awesome power of volcanic eruptions while visiting the most active volcano in the world. Sulfur banks, steam vents, lava flows, craters, lava tubes and expert geologists add to this powerful experience.

The 45-minute journey will depart from the Hawai`i Naniloa Hotel for Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park where you’ll explore the lush, green forestry and volcanic calderas. The volcano, in its extraordinary magnificence, is a force of nature that the Hawaiian people understand as a “way of life”. Early Polynesians understood the nature of the volcanoes, and through their respect, they connected with Madame Pele through chants, hula and stories.

The first stop within the park includes the Kilauea Visitor Center, where a resource geologist will provide historical information on past and present lava flows, ethnobotany and geological events. Your next stop will be Kilauea Iki Crater where you’ll take and extraordinary hike along the trail of the crater.

After a wonderful picnic lunch, your next stop will be an actual nature-made lava tube, called “Nahuku” that formed due to the rushing of red, hot, molten lava. A 20-minute 1/3 mile walk through a tree fern forest takes you into a cave like lava tube with man-made lighting, bringing you out at the other end of the lush, green, fern forest.

Please bring a light sweater or jacket and light rain gear.

For information about Hospice of Hilo contact:

Ron Hart, Director of Development and Public Relations
(808) 969-1733 or ronh@hospiceofhilo.org

IAVS (July 18-23, 2004)

Landscape Change and Ecosystem Disturbance
Islands and Continents

47th Annual Symposium
International Association of Vegetation Science
July 18-23, 2004

King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel,
Kailua–Kona, Hawai’i, USA

**picture not shown**
Pulama Pali, Kilauea Volcano, 2000. T. Pfeiffer

HOSTED BY

• University of Hawai’i-Manoa
• University of Hawai’i-Hilo Conference Center
• USDA Forest Service
• USGS Biological Resources Division
• North American Section of the IAVS

Conference Co-chairs:

• Julie S. Denslow (USDA Forest Service)
• Dieter Mueller-Dombois (University of Hawai’i-Manoa)

Support for this website provided by Hawaii County office of Research and Development.

E Komo Mai – Welcome

Extreme isolation and spectacular environmental heterogeneity have combined to provide the Hawaiian Islands with one of the most fascinating biota in the world. The volcanic island chain is continuously forming in the center of the North Pacific Ocean as the Pacific tectonic plate slowly moves northwest over a stationary hot spot in the earth’s mantle. As a result, the current high islands in the archipelago range in age from fresh lava surfaces being produced daily by Kilauea volcano on the Island of Hawai’i, to sites more than 5 million years old on Kaua’i.

Hawai‘i’s volcanic mountains, which reach up to 4205 m above sea level, interact with the tradewinds to produce such a wide range of climates that most of the world’s terrestrial biomes are represented in the archipelago, including tropical rain forest, savannah, and alpine desert. This environmental diversity has made Hawai’i a model system for studies of vegetation dynamics and ecosystem development.

Because Hawai’i is separated from the nearest continent by 3750 km of ocean, few organisms have been able to colonize the islands naturally. However, many species that did establish underwent extensive evolution, producing some of the world’s best-studied examples of adaptive radiation, including honeycreepers, land snails, drosophilid flies, lobelioids, and silverswords.

Recently, the arrival of humans and alien species in the islands has transformed many Hawaiian ecosystems and caused hundreds of species of plants and animals to become extinct or endangered. Sadly, this now makes the Hawaiian islands a model system for studies of invasive alien species and conservation of rare species.
Organization

Five conference days will feature plenary sessions, contributed papers, posters and special sessions on topics around the conference theme. A mid-conference field trip for all participants is planned to explore leeward and windward altitudinal gradients on young and old lava flows, impacts of invasive species on native ecosystems, and community rehabilitation. Capping the last evening of the conference will be a banquet of tropical delicacies and Hawaiian music and dance. Pre- and post-conference field trips will provide an outstanding opportunity to explore the rich evolutionary landscape across several of the main islands in the Hawaiian chain and to engage researchers and managers attempting to understand and conserve the health of these plant communities. Programs to experience the rich Hawaiian natural and cultural heritage are planned for accompanying family and friends as well as participants.
Meeting Highlights

Explore the plant communities of Hawai’i with the experts. Field trip leaders Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Linda Pratt, Peter Vitousek and others have decades of experience studying the ecosystem and vegetation processes in Hawai’i and the Pacific.

Plenary speakers will include (with tentative topics) Peter Vitousek (formation and development of the Hawaiian island ecosystems), John Ogden (the legacy of Pleistocene events in modern vegetation), Patrick Kirch (the impacts of Polynesians on island ecosystems), Julie Denslow (assessing impacts of invasive species on plant communities), Bastow Wilson (local and regional control of vegetation processes), Boone Kauffman (fire and land use in tropical ecosystems) and Campbell Webb (implications of phylogeny for plant ecological processes).

Special sessions are planned on tropical Pacific landscapes, on patterns of species richness along natural and disturbed elevation gradients, on disturbance-based vegetation management, on the role of urbanization for plant diversity and on ecoinformatics. We look forward to receiving your contributions to the discussions at the symposium.
Schedule

• Early registration opens: January 15, 2004
• Deadline for Submission of abstracts: March 15, 2004
• Early registration closes: April 15, 2004
• Pre-conference field trip: July 17-18, 2004
• Registration and opening reception (evening): July 18, 2004
• Paper sessions and mid-conference excursion: July 19-23, 2004
• IAVS Council meeting: July 19, 2004

Editorial Board Meeting (7 p.m.): July 22, 2004
IAVS General meeting: July 23, 2004
Symposium Dinner and Closing Party: July 23, 2004
Post-conference field trip (tentative): July 24-28, 2004

Registration

Submitted by April 15
IAVS members: $250
Non-members: $275
Students: $150

Submitted after April 15
IAVS members: $350
Non-members: $375
Students: $250

Full refunds less an administrative fee of $50 will be given to participants submitting intent to cancel, in writing to iavs2004@hawaii.edu by June 15, 2004. Any requests for cancellations on or after June 16, 2004 are not eligible for refunds.

To register for the International Association of Vegetation Science 2004 Symposium click here.

Financial Support for Students

We will have modest funds available to defray registration fees for university students. A waiver of the registration fee is available in exchange for assistance with program organization, registration, AV monitoring, etc. (ca. 12 -16 hours). We also have limited additional funds to assist students with the costs of registration and travel. If you are interested in attending the conference and helping the organizers in exchange for a waiver of your registration fee, please send the information below by April 1st. If you responded to the earlier call, please respond again if you wish to be considered for the broader range of support currently available.

Field Excursions

Pre- and Post-Symposium field excursions are planned to explore Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (July 16-18) and the islands of Maui and Kaua’i (July 24-28) with expert field naturalist guides. A mid-symposium excursion is free and open to all registrants (July 21); four alternative trips will provide a variety of experiences and entail hikes of different lengths.

Social Programs and Activities

Kailua-Kona
The IAVS conference is situated in the beautiful, seaport village of north Kona, more affectionately known as Kailua-Kona. This is foothill country leading up to Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. With a rolling, and rocky countryside and very dry and sunny climate, Kailua is known as the center of for all West Hawaii.

The climate ranges from arid desert to humid tropical and in July temperatures will run in the low to mid 80′s, but there are comfortable trade winds cooling the island. Outlying villages include Holualoa, Honalo and Kainaliu.

We have planned several opportunities for symposium participants to get together in a relaxed atmosphere and to enjoy the food, music and dance of Hawai’i. An Opening Reception, included in participants’ registration fee, is planned for the evening of Sunday, July 18, to meet old and new friends.

The Symposium Dinner and Closing Party the evening of July 23 will be held on the luau grounds of the King Kamehameha Hotel and will feature delicacies from across the Pacific and Hawaiian music and dance.

A day-long excursion for accompanying family and friends is planned for Tuesday, July 20. The day will begin at the ancient Place of Refuge, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, where a ranger from the National Park Service will guide us through a faithfully reconstructed Hawaiian village. We will explore other Hawaiian archaeological sites and picnic along the Kona coast. In the early afternoon we will join the crew of the Fairwinds to sail, swim and snorkel in Kealakekua Bay. The day will end with a barbecue aboard and an early evening return to the hotel. Numerous other activities are available in the area; the conference organizers will facilitate tours by small groups. For links to points of interest, go to http://www.konahistorical.org/tours/ or http://bigisland.gohawaii.nyc.world.net/exec/106941/519%20.

Hotel Accommodations

Symposium Venue. King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, is an historic hotel on the beach in the heart of Kailua-Kona. We have reserved a block of rooms at the special conference rate of $110 + tax/night. Participants should make their lodging reservations directly with the hotel at telephone 808-329-2911; fax 808-329-4602. U.S. and Canadian residents may call 800-367-2111 for reservations. Please mention IAVS when making your reservation to receive the conference rate.

See http://www.konabeachhotel.com/ for a description of the hotel. Click here to download a copy of the hotel registration form.

Other Accommodations. To search for other accommodations in Kailua-Kona and elsewhere on the Big Island, visit the Big Island Visitors Bureau Website.

Air Travel

The Kona International Airport (code KOA) has direct flights to and from Honolulu, mainland USA (American Airlines, United Airlines, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and others), including Japan (Japan Airlines) with additional connections internationally through Honolulu. United Airlines has agreed to provide discounted rates for meeting participants from the US West Coast. Call 800-521-4041 and mention the meeting ID code (523AE).

Two inter-island airlines (Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines) provide connecting flights to Hawai’i island from Honolulu. Please note when making flight arrangements that Kailua-Kona is a two-hour drive by car from Hilo. Click here for a map of the Kailua-Kona area.

Please inquire early about visa requirements to visit the United States from your local US Embassy or Consulate. For general information on the USA visa requirements, go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa;visitors.html.

Ground Travel

Rental cars are available from most major agencies. See links for the Kailua-Kona area at http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/fleetinfo2004.htm or http://www.hawaiicarrentalsearch.com. There is one daily bus transport from Hilo to Kailua-Kona.

Call for Abstracts

Abstracts for contributed papers, posters, plenary addresses, and special sessions should be submitted as e-mail attachments following the instructions provided. Please click here to review and download those instructions.

Contact Information

• Direct inquiries: iavs2004@hawaii.edu

Website Support from Hawaii Country Research & Development

Hawai`i: the Healing Island

March 21-31, 2004
September 26-October 6, 2004
Hosted by UH Hilo Conference Center

Culinary arts, healing techniques, nature walks, Hawaii’s medicinal herbs, and the splendor of Hawai`i… all are a pathway to health,healing, and knowledge! Known as the Healing Island, the Big Island of Hawai`i embraces you with aloha and rich resources that enhance your mind, body and spirit. Fly to Hilo and begin this special journey that will teach you about the history and culture of Hawai`i as well as those aspects that can enhance your well-being. At the end of the program, you’ll depart from Honolulu. Leave Hawai`i feeling rejuvenated, peaceful, and joyous–with memories and friends that will last a lifetime!

Highlights:

• Indulge yourself in Hawaii’s traditional, gentle lomilomi massage
• Learn the art of Asian/Polynesian healing approaches through physical movement (tai chi)
• Learn Hawaiian techniques of relaxation and the power of “ha” (breath)
• Bask in the natural steam baths, swim healing ponds, and explore Hawai`i’s underwater world in the clear, blue ocean waters of the Pacific
• Explore Hawaii’s 11 diverse climate zones, from deserts to rain forests (short one-mile walks)
• Experience the power and drama of Kilauea Volcano, and feel the presence of Madame Pele, the fire goddess as you gaze over the crater
• Visit the sacred “Valley of the Kings” in lush Waipio Valley, as you learn the ancient myths, stories and healing qualities of each sacred site you visit.
• Taste the health and delicious foods representing Hawaii’s multicultural cuisine
• Learn about Hawai`i’s healing herbs and foods and leave the island with inspired ideas and recipes for healthy culinary Pan-Pacific delights
• Laughter is a great medicine! Capture more joy in your life learning and being with the powerful spirit of song, hula, and “talking story” with our native healers, kupuna (elders), and kumu (teachers)–joining in song and chanting.
• Learn about the hidden mysteries of Hawai`i, Hilo’s “City of Refuge”–Coconut Island, hula for health, healthy Hawaiian cooking, and the art of Chinese healing.
• Stroll through Liliuokalani Park, Lava Tree State Park, Kahua Ranch, Warm Springs Pond, Waikoloa Petroglyph Walk, Hilo Town and the Farmers Market, Akaka Falls, Palms Cliff House, Waipio Valley Lookout, Waimea Town, Parker Ranch Historic Homes, Chinatown (Oahu), the U.S.S. Arizona/Mighty Mo (Oahu), and Hawai`i Plantation Village (Oahu).

Itinerary subject to change

Base Location: 4 nights in Hilo, 4 nights in Kona, 2 nights in Oahu

Accommodations: You’ll stay in 3-star or better hotels and resorts