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State Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council

The State Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council was created by the Tennessee General Assembly as a result of Chapter 955 of the Public Acts of 2018. The Council meets quarterly. Information on previous and upcoming Council meetings, including agendas and minutes, are available by request.

Purpose

The purpose of the council is to continually assess the status of palliative care, including barriers to care, in Tennessee. The council shall provide recommendations to the Governor and to the General Assembly on issues related to its work.

Council Members

  • Justin Baker, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
  • Linda Estes, Tennessee Health Care Association, Nashville, TN
  • Karen Hyden, Compassus, Nashville, TN
  • Clay Jackson, West Cancer Center, Memphis, TN
  • Mohana Karlekar, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN
  • Maria Vilmerding Moore, Avalon Hospice, Nashville, TN
  • Anna-Gene O'Neal, Alive Hospice, Nashville, TN
  • Jill Patterson, University Palliative Care, Knoxville, TN
  • Greg Phelps, Hospice of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN
  • Sally Pitt, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, TN
  • Jim Shulman, Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, Nashville, TN
  • Tammy Stokes, Maury Regional Medical Center, Columbia, TN

2019 Quarterly Meeting Schedule

January 30, 2019 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. CST

April 24, 2019 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. CST

July 31, 2019 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. CST

October 30, 2019 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. CST

For more information please email tn.aging@tn.gov.

Reports

Palliative Care and Quality of Life Task Force Final Report

Resources

Although Tennesseans’ values and opinions about care for serious illnesses, including palliative care or end-of-life care, will inevitably vary by person, the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council recognizes the importance of increasing access to, and accurate dissemination of, information so that individual care decisions can be made.

Return to this page in the future for suggested reading from the Council.