Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice to Host Educational Conference

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, in collaboration with New Jersey Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, HeroCare Connect and the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), will be hosting the Moral Injury and Veteran-Centric Care Conference on Thursday, October 24 from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. at The Samaritan Center in Voorhees (265 S Route 73). The conference will explore topics such as moral injury and PTSD, among others, as a way to improve care for Veterans across the healthcare continuum.

Keynote speaker, Chris J. Antal (picture attached) is staff chaplain at the Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, where he co-leads a group for Veterans experiencing moral injury. He will review current research and practice and intervention case studies. He will be accompanied by Veterans who will be sharing their experiences with the subject.

Reverend Antal holds ecclesiastical endorsement and final ministerial fellowship from the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. He served in the Army Chaplain Corps from 2008-2016 and is a veteran of the United States’ war in Afghanistan.

“It is important to acknowledge the ways in which healthcare for our veterans can be improved through the concept of veteran-centric care,” said Mary Ann Boccolini, president and CEO of Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice. “Education is key in providing quality healthcare to this growing population. Samaritan is proud to host a conference aimed at increasing the understanding of the unique needs of those who have served our county, while further encouraging the incorporation of veteran-centric care throughout the healthcare continuum.”

Samaritan’s Moral Injury and Veteran-Centric Care Conference is open to and appropriate for health care professionals of all disciplines, chaplains, faith-based community leaders such as priests, deacons and lay ministers, parish volunteers, family caregivers, and others who serve the Veteran population.

Additionally, the conference has been approved for nursing continuing education credits.

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice is a four-star provider of the We Honor Veterans and Hospice Veterans Partnership (HVP) of New Jersey. We Honor Veterans is a joint program of the Veterans Administration and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization that focuses on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful recognition for those who served our country. HVP of New Jersey, an affiliate of the Homecare & Hospice Association of New Jersey, establishes a network of hospice and VA professionals in efforts to provide outstanding end-of-life care for New Jersey’s veterans and their families.

Admission to Samaritan’s Moral Injury and Veteran-Centric Care Conference is free, but space is limited – registration is required and can be completed online here. For more information or to register, please contact Jennifer Adams at (856) 552-3289 or jadams@SamaritanNJ.org.

Photo Caption: Chis Antal is the key note speaker for Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice to Host Educational Conference. Antal is the staff chaplain at the Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, Army Chaplain Corps from 2008-2016 and is a veteran of the United States’ war in Afghanistan.

About Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice: Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, independent organization locally founded in Moorestown, New Jersey in 1980. Samaritan is the regional leader for hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, grief support and counseling, end-of-life education, and advocacy. Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief in their homes, assisted-living, or nursing home communities and through two inpatient hospice centers: The Samaritan Center at Mt. Holly and The Samaritan Center at Voorhees. Two thrift shops, in Westmont and Pitman, support Samaritan services and programs. Samaritan is accredited by The Joint Commission; a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO); the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey; and is a four-star-level hospice in NHPCO’s We Honor Veterans program, created in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For more information, visit www.SamaritanNJ.org.