Synapse, Special Announcement: Spring 2009

Don’t miss the 5th Literature & Medicine Training Institute in Chicago, June 25-28, 2009.
by Lizz Sinclair ::: bio

For twelve years, Literature & Medicine has helped health care professionals across the country deal with the stresses and challenges of their work. This reading and discussion program provides an important opportunity for providers from every department of a hospital to share a meal and reflect on their work with one another through the lens of literature in a setting intentionally designed to welcome everyone’s opinion.

Literature & Medicine has grown through a network of state humanities councils, private non-profits affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Humanities councils promote and support the humanities in their respective states, offering public reading and discussion-based programs, including, in 25 states, Literature & Medicine. Each Lit & Med council works closely with health care facilities in its state to organize the program, providing guidance, technical support and sometimes limited financial support as well. In short, humanities councils make it as easy as possible for health care facilities to host a program.

Here is what some past Institute participants have said:

“I left energized and ready to start a program at my hospital!”

“This was one of the best professional development experiences I have had [as a scholar].”

“It was informative, stimulating, occasionally truly transforming.”

“The Institute was challenging and fulfilled my expectations, and more.”

Thus far, hundreds of health care facilities across the country have participated, and more are interested in becoming involved. Thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, 15 humanities councils will be able to offer Literature & Medicine to staff in Veterans Administration hospitals across the country. While L&M is relatively inexpensive, the benefits to participating health care professionals have been enormous, as you can see from the recent evaluations [pdf] of the program. Not only do participants find the discussions stimulating and enjoyable, they also report that L&M has helped them to feel less isolated, more supported by their institution, and has helped them work effectively with their colleagues and patients because of an increase in their level of empathy and awareness of other cultures. As one participant wrote,

“Surgeons commune with nurses from our long-term care facility; secretaries speak with equal voice to administrators; laboratory technicians give their viewpoint to obstetricians. In short, [Literature & Medicine] has greatly improved communications among participating employees, and has also improved communications with patients.”

Because of our new initiative to offer Literature & Medicine to VA staff, the Institute this spring is particularly geared for those interested in starting the program at VA hospitals. However, it will be just as valuable for non-VA health care professionals wanting to start a program or learn more. Participants will get all the tools they need to launch a successful Literature & Medicine program of their own. The three days will combine small group discussions, plenary sessions, and many opportunities to interact with one another as well as current Literature & Medicine facilitators and hospital organizers.

We are honored to have two special guest speakers for the Institute. Major Tammy Duckworth, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs and a decorated war veteran severely injured while serving in Iraq, will open the conference. Major Duckworth has been a strong advocate on behalf of disability rights and veterans. Prior to her most recent appointment she served as the Director of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, where she implemented many first-in-the-nation, cutting-edge programs for veterans, especially in the areas of health care, mental health, housing and employment. She also initiated a public-private partnership program giving grants to non-profits working on veterans disability, homelessness, long-term medical care and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Brian Turner is a poet who was an infantry team leader for a year in Iraq beginning November 2003, with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Prior to that, he was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000 with the 10th Mountain Division. His poetry collection Here, Bullet was a New York Times “Editor’s Choice” Selection and has received many awards. It is a harrowing, powerful first-person account of the Iraq War by a soldier-poet.

Again, while this Institute will be especially geared toward those starting Literature & Medicine in Veterans Administration Hospitals, anyone interested in organizing a program will find this training valuable and is welcome to attend. All participants will leave with the tools they need to organize a program.

The Literature & Medicine Training Institute offers participants:

a thorough understanding of the program’s structure, goals, and outcomes;
first-hand experience of what the program is like through small group discussions of readings;
a variety of ways to approach facilitating the program, including practical experience;
guidance in selecting readings and crafting syllabi;
clear instruction on the process for successful implementation of the program within hospitals and other health care facilities, including an understanding of the roles of the scholar, the liaison (what we call the hospital organizer), and the humanities council staff;
an introduction to our new anthologies, on-line annotated bibliography and other resources;
a valuable network of colleagues to draw upon for questions, best practices and reading recommendations.

In addition, each liaison and council staff member will receive a copy of our Literature & Medicine manual outlining the process of organizing the program in a health care facility.

* Ideally, states will be represented by teams that include potential hospital organizers, facilitators, and state humanities council staff.

What could be better? Chicago is easily accessible by plane, and we have reserved a great place in the heart of the downtown for people to stay at an amazingly reasonable price. Chicago offers much to explore, from Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs; the Art Institute; Millennium Park; great shops and a vibrant atmosphere. Although the schedule is full, it includes free time to see some of the sights, and you can choose to add a day to your stay before or after the conference at the same low rates if you act soon.

It is not too late to register. For registration information and more details, click here for the Institute or contact Lizz Sinclair at the Maine Humanities Council.