State Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council

Palliative care is specialized care for people facing serious illness.

Purpose

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.

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

  • Commissioner Brad Turner, Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, Nashville, TN
  • Ashley Fedusenko, Erlanger Health System, Chattanooga, TN
  • Logan Grant, Tennessee Health Facilities Commission, Nashville, TN
  • Tracy Hills, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
  • Karen Hyden, Care Hospice, Nashville, TN
  • Mohana Karlekar, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
  • Nina Monroe, Tennessee Health Care Association, Nashville, TN
  • Maria Moore, Gentiva Hospice, Nashville, TN
  • Greg Phelps, Covenant Health, Knoxville, TN
  • Sally Pitt, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, TN
  • Tammy Stokes, Maury Regional Medical Center, Columbia, TN
  • Dean Thompson, Tennessee Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Hendersonville, TN

2024 Quarterly Meeting Schedule

January 24, 2024 11am – 1 CST State Palliative Care & Quality of Life Advisory Council

March 13, 2024 11am – 1 CST State Palliative Care & Quality of Life Advisory Council 

June 12, 2024 11am – 1pm CST State Palliative Care & Quality of Life Advisory Council

September 11, 2024 11am – 1pm CST State Palliative Care & Quality of Life Advisory Council

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

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is specialized care for people facing serious illness1, focusing on providing relief of suffering (physical, psychosocial, and spiritual), to maximize quality of life for both the patient and family. 1-Within palliative care, serious illness is defined as a health condition that carries a high risk of mortality and a) negatively impacts a person’s daily function, b) negatively impacts a person’s quality of life, and/or c) excessively strains the person’s caregiver.

*This definition was adopted by the State Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council on January 30, 2019.

State Palliative Care Education Initiative 

Topic: Palliative Care Overview with Dr. Justin Baker

Topic: Referral Etiquette/Team Dynamics by Dr. Clay Jackson

Topic: Communication Techniques: How to Have Difficult Health-Related Conversations by Karen Hyden

Topic:  Advanced Care Directives by Dr. Greg Phelps

Advanced Care Planning

Making the Case for Palliative Care – Dr. Mohana Karlekar

Reports

Palliative Care and Quality of Life Task Force Final Report

2019 State Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council Update Report     *Added May 2019

2021 Palliative Care Update Report

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia State Plan Update 2021

2022 Palliative Care 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. The following resources may be helpful:

Honoring Choices Tennessee Palliative Care

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Get Palliative Care

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Dr. Diane E. Meier Defines Palliative Care (YouTube video)

Dr. Diane E. Meier Discusses Palliative Medicine and Geriatric Care (YouTube video)

Integrating Palliative Care

Advance Care Planning