Greencastle, Indiana. The Board of the Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association (PCHPCA) announced that it will offer free Advanced Care Planning (ACP) Facilitator training for practitioners in Putnam County. The training includes completion of online education modules as well as an in-person day of education. Continuing education credits will be offered for various professions. The in-person portion of the training will be held on September 30, 2020 at the Putnam County Hospital. Space is limited, and PCHPCA will be accepting applications to attend the training.

“Advance care planning is important for all adults at all stages of life and health and is an important part of routine, high-quality healthcare,” said Elaine Peck, Director of PCHPCA. Peck stated that the Advance Care Planning (ACP) Facilitator is a growing role in healthcare. ACP Facilitators are instrumental in helping individuals and their loved ones become more engaged in person-centered healthcare decision-making. When integrated into the primary care or community setting early in the course of healthcare, ACP discussions help normalize the concept of planning.

Because ACP is not a one-size-fits-all conversation, ACP Facilitators benefit from training to have conversations with individuals at different stages of health and in different settings of care. The training that will be offered is the Respecting Choices First Steps ACP Facilitator Certification. It is designed for professionals and healthcare providers (social workers, nurses, health educators, physicians), clergy, and others involved in providing advance care planning facilitation. The First Steps ACP Facilitator training lays the foundation for participants to facilitate ACP conversations with any adult.

Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association (PCHPCA) is a nonprofit, charitable organization that has joined national, state, and community efforts to increase the quality of the end-of-life experience for patients, loved ones, caregivers, and the healthcare community in Putnam County. PCHPCA is partially supported by The Putnam County Community Foundation and the Putnam County Hospital. For additional information, contact Elaine Peck, Director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.pchpca.org.