Newswise — Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 25, March, 2013 – With a half million dollars in grant funding from the Picker Institute, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation (www.humanism-in-medicine.org) will continue the vital work of promoting patient-centered healthcare, a movement spearheaded by the Picker Institute.
The mutual goals of The Gold Foundation, dedicated to humanizing medicine, and The Picker Institute, dedicated to advancing the principles of patient-centered care, led to a successful multi-year collaboration advocating for patient-centered care training in graduate medical education. The Picker Institute had enabled the future of this work by naming The Gold Foundation as its’ major beneficiary when it ceases operations at the end of the month.
Half of the award is earmarked for the Picker/Gold Graduate Medical Education Challenge Grant Program, which has the goal of helping future physicians learn and incorporate the best practices in patient-centered care, ensuring that patient needs and wishes are at the center of every healthcare interaction. Harvey Picker's description of the fundamentals of patient-centered care, “understanding patients' values, preferences and expressed needs,” has been the touchstone for the dozens of Picker-Gold challenge grantees at teaching hospitals throughout the country, and will remain so.
The remainder of the award is being used to establish the Jean and Harvey Picker Directorship of The Gold Foundation’s Research Institute for Humanism in Medicine. The institute funds and disseminates research to better define the role of compassion, altruism, and respect in the delivery of high-quality, patient care, and through its visibility and accomplishments, help to define optimal patient-centered care for the 21st century.
“For Picker Institute and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the importance of placing the patient at the very heart of her or his care plan, whether it is called patient-centeredness or humanism, has always been the sine qua non of the healthcare system. We look forward to seeing the results of The Gold Foundation’s Research Institute under the direction of the Jean and Harvey Picker Director as yet another affirmation of this very simple but powerful truth,” stated Lucile O. Hanscom, Executive Director of the Picker Institute.
As a result of the Picker-Gold collaboration, The Gold Foundation will also work with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to embed the Picker Institute's Always Events® program in experiences that patients should receive from every healthcare provider across every healthcare delivery system.
Dr. David Leach, a member of the Picker Board of Trustees and former Executive Director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) felt The Gold Foundation was the natural recipient of Picker funds to continue the work the two organizations shared. He stated, “It is as important to foster humanism in healers as it is their scientific and technical expertise. As the Picker Institute hands off its mission and resources to others it is essential that this aspect of Harvey Picker's legacy be preserved and defended. Fortunately the Gold Foundation is a trusted partner whose shared values and expertise guarantee continued growth, nourishment, and of humanism in medicine."
In accepting the $500,000 grant, Dr. Richard I. Levin, President and CEO of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, said, “The Picker Institute has had a major impact on healthcare improvements, making patient-centered care a key component of optimal care in this century. We are forever thankful for the partnership we have enjoyed and the trust that the Picker board has placed in us to continue to honor the pioneering vision of Jean and Harvey Picker.”
About the Arnold P. Gold Foundation: The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, established in 1988, is a not-for- profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare by enhancing the doctor-patient relationship. It encourages the development of physicians who combine the high tech skills of cutting-edge medical science with the high touch skills of communication, empathy and compassion. Learn more at humanism-in-medicine.org.
About The Picker Institute: Started in 1986, the not-for-profit Picker Institute became a leading, international advocate for patient-centered healthcare, advancing excellence through education, research and the dissemination of best practices. Picker Institute’s mission fostered a broader understanding of the theoretical and practical changes needed to facilitate a more patient-centered approach to healthcare, with a focus on the concerns of patients and other healthcare consumers.
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