NHPCO NewsLine Spring 2022 - 17

It's always been my position that if you can't see me, then
you can't serve me, and advocacy really is simply saying I
care about what you care about, let's care about it
together and let's move the conversation.
Donna
GAYLES
At the Church and places of worship, people are able to be
served there because they trust what's happening there,
they trust the individuals there. They believe that those
people are willing to help them right where they are and
that they're committed to their best outcomes. Trust is
the crux of relationship, it is the foundation of connection.
And if a family does not feel the ability to connect with
the provider, and thereby trust them, the opportunity to
truly serve them is lost. So even though the provider has
the knowledge, the data, the resources, everything they
can offer, the family may reject it because they don't trust
it. We have to build a relationship of trust before we can
actually build the bridge to better services.
One of the things we've learned that will take us forward
is to learn how to say " yes, " everyone says " no, " especially
in underserved areas. " No " is a word that's heard often.
We need to figure out how to say " yes. " We look at the
person, we look at situations, we look at each individual
case, and see that person as a person. And in health care,
bring the care back into focus and not let it be about
anything but the person at the center of that care. That's
definitely a lesson that will take us forward and allow us
to be of better service to our community.
It's important that we refocus and make sure that we
understand that what comes from the heart really does
touch the heart. Families are in need of care entirely
- mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally - they are an
entire being needing entire care.
NHPCO would like to thank the panelists and extends appreciation to Marisette Hasan for
moderating the panel and to Nicole McCann-Davis for facilitating the Q&A segment.
The recording of the webinar, Faith, Trust, Hope, and Advocacy: Effectively engaging faith community leaders to
address disparities in serious illness care, is available on NHPCO's National Hospice YouTube channel.
NHPCO offers additional resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion that have been developed by the
organization's Diversity Advisory Council and are available online at nhpco.org/diversity.
Newsline / Spring 2022
17

https://www.nhpco.org/education/tools-and-resources/diversity/

NHPCO NewsLine Spring 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Spring 2022