Provincial Health Ethics Network

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Updated September 7, 2010

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What's New

PHEN is seeking an Intern to conduct research, provide programme support, develop materials and assist with special projects. PHEN will commit to providing the intern with a basic orientation to the field of health ethics from both a theoretical and practical perspective, exposure to some of the major challenges of promoting ethical behaviour, and hands-on experience in developing programmes and services to meet the growing demand for ethics information and support. For more information, please click here.

Featured Article: If I Could Say Five Things

PHEN chooses and regularly distributes to its members a particularly useful, interesting and current health ethics article. The Summer 2010 Featured Article was recently distributed: If I Could Say Five Things by George C. Webster, Clinical Ethicist at St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The article is the text of a presentation Dr. Webster made in June 2010 in receipt of the Canadian Bioethics Society Lifetime Achievement Award. To read a Busy People's Summary of the article, please click here.

Manitoba Provincial Health Ethics Network Launches Website

The new Manitoba Provincial Health Ethics Network (MB-PHEN) recently launched its website, a portal for health care providers to link to health ethics resources and strategies in Manitoba and beyond. MB-PHEN was created in 2009 as a collaboration of Manitoba RHAs. The goal of MB-PHEN is to advance integrative ethics in health care in Manitoba. To visit the website, please click here.

Introduction to Bioethics Distance Education Course

PHEN is pleased to be celebrating over a decade of innovative, accessible and high quality health ethics education with the 11th offering of its distance education course Introduction to Bioethics. The course, running from January to May 2011, has been designed to bridge the gap between academic bioethics and clinical practice. It does so by integrating instruction from prominent North American Bioethicists with the application of practical skills and case studies in each learning module. The course uses a delivery format that allows individuals from across North America to participate directly from their residence or place of work. For more info, please click here.

New Look for PHEN's Website

PHEN is pleased to have launched the organization's new website and invites you to share your impressions of the new design. Guided by an independent assessment of the existing website and ongoing feedback from PHEN members and focus groups, PHEN redesigned and restructured the site with a view to making the content and navigation more user-friendly. Thank you to the former Wild Rose Foundation for its financial support of this project. Stay tuned for more updates and improvements to the site over the coming months!

New Alberta Health Act

In January 2010, the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health released the report A Foundation for Alberta's Health System, recommending that Alberta establish a single piece of legislation – the Alberta Health Act – to set the overall direction for the province's publicly-funded health system. The Government of Alberta recently engaged in a public consultation process, asking about core components of the proposed Alberta Health Act, and what that Act should do for the publicly-funded health system. As part of this process, PHEN was asked to review and provide feedback on the Report - the submission can be viewed here. For more information on the Act and the consultation process, please click here.

Seeking Your Input on Health Ethics Week Theme

We are currently exploring potential themes for this year's Health Ethics Week, taking place March 7 - 13, 2011, and would really value your input. Please take a look at the suggested themes listed here and let us know if any spark your curiosity, particularly relate to the work that you do or the life that you live, or seem especially relevant and timely. And, of course, please pepper us with additional theme suggestions or variations on those listed!

PHEN Operations

PHEN is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Health and Wellness has agreed to provide PHEN with funding to continue operations for the 2010-11 fiscal year. PHEN would like to extend a special thanks to Minister Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta Health Services, PHEN partner organizations, members, and all those who have extended support to PHEN over the past year. We are extremely appreciative of all the expressions of support we received and the commitment of our members and the health community to the importance of promoting ethics deliberation and decision-making in Alberta's health system.

New Resource to Assist With Making Difficult Health Care Decisions

PHEN and the Alberta Collaborative Initiative on Decision-Making at the End of Life is developing a new resource for members of the public, patients, long-term care residents and their families to help with decision-making in times of serious illness or injury. Comfort, Hopes and Wishes: Making Difficult Health Care Decisions is intended to provide clear information about medical treatments and ethical issues that may arise during these difficult times. To view a draft copy of this resource, please click here.