Jason Program Newsletter August 2003 We exist simply because children have touched our hearts. We believe they should be listened to and cared for. To the Jason Program Community -- We hope the summer finds you well, and remind you, as always, to take care of yourselves as well as your patients. You can review some common-sense ideas on this topic on our Care for Yourselves page. This article, Study Documents Damage to Caregivers' Immune Systems, offers scientific information to support the common sense. The Jason Program is participating in two upcoming conferences. We present our annual Advanced Study Course on August 20-23 in cooperation with the University on New England. This course provides training for professionals of any discipline who interface with critically ill children and teens with life-threatening and terminal illness. The program is a practical approach directed at professionals providing direct patient care. We support and utilize the curriculums from CHIPPS, ELNEC, EPEC, IPPC, and the Institute of Medicine Report, and supplement these with our own content in areas such as Child Life, Therapeutic and Medical Play, Complementary Medicine, and Spiritual Development of Children. You can find more information here on our site. Jason Program members will travel to the Children's Hospice International 15th World Conference, held this September 14-17 in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Allegretta will present From Oncologist to Hospice Physician: Lessons from the Pediatric Perspective, scheduled to take place Tuesday, September 16, from 3:30pm-4:30pm and Wednesday, September 17 from 11:30am-12:30pm.You can find more details on this conference at the CHI Web Site. New additions to our site include "Pain in Seriously Ill Children", a concise review of this topic, containing recent published literature, provided by Cancer Pain Release. A new online journal, The Journal of Supportive Oncology, has published its first edition. It publishes review articles and original research relating to practical management issues in the palliative and supportive care of patients with neoplastic diseases. The articles aim to be of broad relevance to the clinical problems faced by the practicing oncologist, bringing research findings from bench to bedside. The journal focuses on the integration of supportive and palliative oncology into the care of all oncology patients, from diagnosis to cure and beyond or death. As always, please check our News page for links to advances in palliative care, Jason Program news, and new additions to our site. As always, on behalf of the children, we thank you for your interest and caring. Sincerely, The Jason Program Team 13 Industrial Park Road Saco, Maine 04072 Phone: (207) 294-8255 Fax: (207) 294-8257 E-mail: mddirector@jasonprogram.org Web: www.jasonprogram.org