BRIDGING THE DIVIDE:
2023 End-of-Life Virtual Conference Series
For more than two decades we have been providing end-of-life education in southern Arizona. Over the last three years, thousands of people from across the nation and around the globe have participated in our virtual education series.
This year we invite you to join us as we traverse the mortality terrain through our supportive and challenging discussions, films, presentations, and games. All are welcome to this free series of events.
All sessions are free of charge. Join us now!
Dying in America: Care Options Near the End of Life January 19th, 2023 | 6-7:30pm (MST)
Due to the remarkable advances in medical care, we are living longer. But aging is commonly accompanied by illness, and people are living with slowly progressive serious illness. Unfortunately, many are unprepared for the final stages of life. Relatively few have had in-depth discussions with their physicians about their prognosis and goals of care. We must encourage far better end-of-life care to include early palliative care referrals; facilitation of end-of-life care conversations between patients, their families, and healthcare providers; completion of advance care directives; discussions and documentation of patients’ wishes, goals and values; and a meaningful shared decision-making process which includes a discussion of the end-of-life care options available.
Presented by: Dr. Tom Fitch & Mary Ganapol
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Dr. Tom Fitch
Tom R. Fitch, M.D., was a consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona from July 1988 through July 2021, when he retired. He was a consultant in the Division of Hematology and Oncology throughout his career and became a consultant in Hospice and Palliative Medicine when it was initially created as a section of Division of Hematology and Oncology in 2001. At the time of his diagnosis of multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in May/July 2018, he was Director of the Center for Palliative Medicine in Arizona and Chair of the Mayo Enterprise Center for Palliative Medicine. He stepped down from those positions at the time of his cancer diagnoses of both multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and initiation of treatment. Dr. Fitch held the academic rank of associate professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He formally retired in July 2021. Since late 2019, he has been involved in the Arizona End of Life Organization, a volunteer organization dedicated to passing a Medical Aid in Dying Law (MAID) in Arizona.
Mary Ganapol
Mary Ganapol, A resident of Tucson since 1997, was a contract investigator for Federal agencies throughout Southern Arizona, followed by ownership of a home care franchise called “Seniors Helping Seniors” in Green Valley. Since retiring in 2017, she has continued to advocate for seniors and serves on the boards of the League of Women Voters in Greater Tucson and the Secular Coalition of Arizona. She is the Southern Arizona Lead for Arizona End of Life Options.