Annual Report 2016 - The Schwartz Center

“If I have learned anything, it is that we never know when, how, or whom a serious illness will strike. If and when it does, each one of us wants not simply the best possible care for our body but for our whole being.” - Kenneth B. Schwartz, Schwartz Center Founder

Thank you for your support!

Thanks to supporters like you, our organization continues to advance compassionate care as a national priority and as a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction. As the clinician burnout epidemic grows, our work has never been more urgent than it is now.

With your help, our programs will continue to build a healthcare system that supports the kind of compassionate care that caregivers want to deliver and patients want to receive. Some of these initiatives include:

Our inaugural Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference, which will enable clinicians, system leaders, patients and families to learn about cutting-edge initiatives, strategies, and tools to create and sustain compassionate care. Join the participants who are attending from across the country and around the world.
The National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award, which recognizes inspirational compassionate caregivers who display extraordinary acts of compassion.
Our first Compassion in Practice continuing medical education course, which was hosted in partnership with Harvard Medical School. This course enables practicing clinicians to develop a deep understanding of the science and art of compassion.

Thank you for all you do to support these programs, and for helping us keep compassion at the heart of healthcare.

Warmly,Ellen R. Cohen, Board President

Clinician burnout has reached epidemic levels. It impacts safety, quality and patient experience. The systemic barriers that inhibit clinician well-being are rooted in the inability to provide compassionate care to patients and their families.

Watch leading experts in patient safety, health education and healthcare delivery systems talk about why we need to make the clinician burnout issue a national priority in order to strengthen the patient-caregiver relationship and improve our healthcare system.

265,000+

caregivers are reached through our programs each year

A patient is more than their cancer: In their experience caring exclusively for critically ill cancer patients, the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute has learned that compassionate care is not limited to grand gestures - that simple acts of kindness can go a long way in making patients feel at ease.

Watch the MICU Team’s story.

2,975+

caregivers recognized through our Honor Your Caregiver program since 2008

It could happen to anyone: When Jay Shiland suddenly became critically ill, he and his family found themselves sustained and supported by an extraordinary team of caregivers.

Watch their story.

3,400,000+

patients are touched by our programs each year

Our Reach

560+

healthcare organizations have adopted our Schwartz Rounds^TM program in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand

4,820+

people attended our convenings in 2016

265,000+

caregivers are reached through our programs each year

Compassionate care and the "sandwich generation": As baby boomers age, many people will find themselves caring for their aging parents while still raising their own children. Liz experienced this struggle firsthand and learned that the best healthcare experiences happened when there was trust and strong communication between the clinical staff and family.

Read Liz’s story.

410+

Champions of Compassion are individual donors who have supported our programs for 10+ years

Taking care of people, not just treating patients: The task of providing care can overwhelm even the most seasoned caregivers. With this in mind, Randi Kaplan, LMSW, recipient of the 2016 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award, made it her mission to create a refuge for caregivers, a safe environment free of judgment that would look and feel distinct from anywhere else in the hospital.

Watch Randi’s story.

1,800+

caregivers have been nominated for the National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award since 1999

Giving his whole self to care for sick and injured children: David Pascoe, MA, BCC is a perfect example of how compassion in healthcare is not only practiced by doctors, nurses and social workers. As an interfaith chaplain at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, David works with patients and families from a variety of backgrounds, providing them compassion in their most urgent time of need.

Watch David’s story.

560+

healthcare organizations have adopted our Schwartz Rounds^TM program in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.