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New York City
This event was part of New York City

Getting Real About Racial Disparities at End of Life

Dr. Jessica Zitter and Pastor Corey Kennard explore the great divide between seriously-ill African American patients and the healthcare system they come to for support. Moderated by Michelle Drayton, Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Director of Community Outreach.

How can we build trust and confidence in our healthcare system for African Americans, who have suffered from inequitable treatment, been excluded and neglected in our nation’s healthcare system?

Dr. Jessica Zitter and Pastor Corey Kennard will explore the great divide between seriously-ill African American patients and the healthcare system they come to for support. The history of racial inequity in our healthcare system has created an atmosphere of alienation and distrust on the part of African Americans. Facilitated by Michelle Drayton - Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Director of Community Outreach - this conversation acknowledges and explores those challenges. We will discuss strategies to bring patient, family, and healthcare team closer together. Partners for this event include Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, and NY Caring Majority Coalition. Refreshments served.

Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter, MD, MPH, is a national advocate for transforming the way people die in America. She is Harvard and UCSF-trained to practice the unusual combination of Critical and Palliative Care medicine. She works as an Attending Physician at a public hospital in Oakland, California. Dr. Zitter is the author of the newly released Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life and her work is featured in the Academy and Emmy-nominated short documentary “Extremis,” available on Netflix.

Corey L. Kennard is President/CEO of CLK Group, Inc., and Pastor of Amplify Christian Church. He has been involved in the field of healthcare for over 20 years with over a decade of experience in the areas of Palliative Care and Hospice. His work includes leading a spiritual care team at one of Detroit’s largest hospitals, and formerly serving as a Faculty Lead for Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End Of Life (ICEOL) national training program called, “APPEAL.” In this role, he was instrumental in co-creating a national teaching module for understanding spirituality at the end of life.

Talk, Panel, & Conversation
Wellness Spirituality