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Bioethics Discussion Pages

Moderated by Maurice Bernstein, MD; references links to bioethics resources including University of Chicago MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics; discussions of bioethical dilemmas.

 

The mission of the Center is academic research that integrates and enhances teaching and service in health care ethics. Their mission brings the Catholic tradition into interdisciplinary discourse with our pluralistic society.

 

The Hastings Center

The Hastings Center is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit bioethics research institute founded in 1969 to explore fundamental and emerging questions in health care, biotechnology, and the environment.

 

Medical College of Wisconsin: Center for the Study of Bioethics

Searchable bioethics online service with access to court decisions, articles, laws, book reviews; bioethics texts.

 

MedWeb

MedWeb is a catalog of biomedical and health related web sites maintained by the staff of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library at Emory University.

 

The National Catholic Bioethics Center takes advantage of the latest methods and technologies to impress the widest possible audience with the teachings and insight that the Catholic tradition can bring to the field of medicine and the human biological sciences. This site is an up to date resource for timely news and information. Every quarter they host and post the proceeds of their quarterly on-line Cyber-seminars. This site also contains information regarding the Center, their president, mission, and links to other Catholic, medical, and ethical websites.

 

The President's Council on Bioethics

The Council advises the President on ethical issues related to advances in biomedical science and technology

 

UB Center for Clinical Ethics and Humanities in Health Care

The Center for Clinical Ethics and Humanities in Health Care was established at the University at Buffalo in 1994. It is a multi-disciplinary center which coordinates a variety of clinical and academic activities in the Western New York area. Their web site offers bioethics and medical humanities information, and a bioethics newsletter.

The mission of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute is to promote and protect the dignity of the human person through interdisciplinary ethics research and education in health care and the life sciences.

 

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Catechism of the Catholic Church

An on-line version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

 

 

Catholics Against Capital Punishment was founded in 1992 to promote greater awareness of Catholic Church teachings that characterize capital punishment as unnecessary, inappropriate and unacceptable in today's world.

 

Canada's Premiere Catholic Online Directory

 

 

  The Mexican American Cultural Center

A National Catholic Institute for Pastoral Leadership and Language Studies. The Mexican American Cultural Center works for the good of the Hispanic community and the multicultural society in which we live. MACC provides communal integrative learning experiences in pastoral ministry, language studies, theology and Hispanic reality. MACC's leadership, cultural and language programs prepare formal and informal leaders to respond to the religious and social needs of Hispanic and multicultural communities.

 

Ministry Connect exists to assist all persons interested in providing, finding, and encouraging meaningful work in the service of others. This pioneering effort embraces persons of all faiths, helping to connect resources with needs in order to bring about a greater good for our society.

 

National Center for Pastoral Leadership (NCPL)

The NCPL is an independent, nonprofit organization, which offers innovative resources and services for building leadership vision, commitment and competency to improve ministry. Their mission is shaped by a Vision for Ministry developed collaboratively with 500 Church leaders. This vision is: Faith-Based, Inclusive, Collegial, Outwardly-Directed, Communal and Empowering.

 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is an assembly of the hierarchy of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands who jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States. The purpose of the Conference is to promote the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place. This purpose is drawn from the universal law of the Church and applies to the episcopal conferences which are established all over the world for the same purpose.

 

The New American Bible

An online version of the New American Bible.

 

Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women & Youth

Reflecting the growing recognition of the laity's role in the church and in the world, the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth has evolved since it was originally established as the Laity Secretariat in 1977. In 1988 it became the Secretariat for Laity and Family Life, with a particular focus on family life, women and youth, along with lay ministry and lay spirituality. In 1991 the Secretariat adopted its current name, which reflects the content areas of its work.

 

The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care

The Council's tasks are: to stimulate and promote the work of formation, study and action carried out by the diverse Catholic International Organizations (C.I.O.s) in the health care field as well as other groups and associations which work in this sector, on different levels and in different ways.

The council is in charge of coordinating the activities of different dicasteries of the Roman Curia as they relate to the health care sector and its problems. It spreads, explains and defends the teachings of the Church on health issues and favors its involvement in health care practice. It also maintains contacts with the local Churches and especially with bishops' commissions for the health world.

Other responsibilities include: following attentively and studying concrete programs and initiatives of health care policy at both international and national levels, with the goal of extracting its relevance and implications for the pastoral of the Church. In order to fulfill its mission, the council asks for the collaboration of experts and creates "ad hoc" task forces on given issues.

 Society of St. Paul - Alba House

This site offers hundreds of Catholic books and tapes on a wide range of topics from Biblical studies, spirituality and social justice. Also, homilies are offered based on the Catholic liturgical cycle. RealAudio and video is also presented.

 

The Holy See (English-language entrance to the Vatican website)

 

 The Liturgy of Lament for the Broken Body of Christ

This service was developed by Father Joe Fortuna, pastor, and Ms. Laurel Jurecki, pastoral associate, of Ascension of Our Lord Church in Cleveland, Ohio, at the request of Sister Christine Schenk, CSJ, of FutureChurch. Sister Chris had been approached with the idea by Stephen, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse. The Liturgy of Lament can be downloaded from the FutureChurch website (www.futurechurch.org) or mailed to interested individuals and groups (see their website for contact information).

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Rest Ministries is a Christian organization for people who live with chronic illness or pain. It provides various resources, including a quarterly magazine, HopeKeepers groups across the U.S. and an extensive web site with chat guests, free daily devotionals, multiple articles and small groups. We are also a new affiliate of Joni and Friends ministry, the national ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada.

Rest Ministries is a place where you will find understanding and compassion. It was founded by Lisa Copen in '97, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis & fibromyalgia. It has thousands who participate -- with various illnesses and nearly 100% of our volunteers live with a chronic illness.

We have over 300 pages of support "groups," resources, links and more--even HopeKeepers Groups throughout the U.S. and beyond.

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Advance Care Planning: Preferences at the End of Life

is the title of a March 2003 report by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that discusses how advance care planning can help ensure that the medical care preferences of patients who are terminally ill are honored by hospital doctors. The problem, according to the report, is that fewer than half of severely ill and terminally ill patients have an advance directive in their medical record. It goes on to assert that part of the reason for this is that physicians, who should help patients plan end-of-life care, are largely unaware of the existence of advance directives. The report also shows that most patients are willing to discuss end-of-life options with their doctors.

 

Access to Hospice Care: Expanding Boundaries, Overcoming Barriers

This is a report prepared by the Hastings Center and available to read online. Includes information on ordering copies of the report.

 

Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, supported by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Caring Connections

• Provides free resources, information and motivation for actively learning about end-of-life resources.
• Promotes awareness of and engagement in efforts to increase access to quality end-of-life care.
• Helps people connect with the resources they need, when they need them.
• Brings together community, state and national partners working to improve end-of-life care.

 

The Center For Loss and Healing

The Center For Loss and Healing is committed to promoting compassionate and holistic care among professionals, spiritual leaders, and caregivers working with the dying, the bereaved, and others experiencing loss. Through an interdisciplinary approach, including academic programs, informative resources, and support services, the Center cultivates a healing community dedicated to understanding and embracing the diverse cultural, societal, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the grief experience.

 

Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)

The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) is a resource for hospitals and health systems interested in developing palliative care programs. The Center serves a broad constituency of providers and interested groups - including physicians, nurses, educators, policymakers, health researchers, payers, students and, ultimately, patients and their families - in an effort to improve the availability and quality of palliative care. CAPC is a national initiative supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with direction and technical assistance provided by Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

 

GriefNet.org is an Internet community of persons dealing with grief, death, and major loss.

 

Paul Alexander is a singer, songwriter, psychotherapist, author, actor and performing artist who has shared his music and message of hope throughout the United States and Canada.
His recordings are resource tools being utilized by Church Groups, Funeral Homes, Hospices, and Hospitals as well as bereavement support groups and individual caregivers. Paul's contemporary style combined with his compassionate lyrics and compelling vocal delivery touch the heart and soul of the listener and provide healing and upliftment.

 

KIDSAID is a safe place for kids to share and to help each other deal with grief about any of their losses. It's a place to share and deal with feelings, to show artwork and stories, to talk about pets, to meet with one's peers. KIDSAID is owned and run by GriefNet.

 

Called by the healing ministry of Jesus, the National Catholic Ministry to the Bereaved is committed to serve all people who have experienced the death of a loved one. Our holistic care is dedicated to the spiritual support of individuals, parishes, and communities.

 

  National Public Radio Online

NPR has a series called The End of Life: Exploring Death in America.

 

The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project is a comprehensive, national education program a major grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Primary project goals are to develop a core of expert nursing educators and to coordinate national nursing education efforts in end-of-life care.

 

Supportive Care of the Dying is a non-profit coalition supported by their members who represent many outstanding health care and Catholic organizations throughout the country. They actively initiate research projects and develop and test innovative tools that their members can use before they are offered to the public. They also support each other as they initiate systemic or organizational change in the care of persons affected by life-threatening illness.

 

The Compassionate Friends is a national nonprofit, self-help support organization which offers friendship and understanding to families who are grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause. There is no religious affiliation. There are no membership fees or dues, and all bereaved family members are welcome.

 

Willowgreen is a provider of information and inspiration in the areas of illness and dying, loss and grief, healthy caregiving, life transition, and spirituality. Willowgreen is the creation of James E. Miller, writer and photographer, trainer and speaker, grief counselor and clergyman. Willowgreen offers books, audiotapes, and videotapes each a unique blend of helpful advice and age-old wisdom, sound psychology and deeply-rooted spirituality, the practical along with the poetic.

 

A program is now available for nursing homes and long-term care facilities: Good Endings. The program consists of recruiting and training vigil teams of volunteers to sit with the dying, implementing staff education on end-of-life issues, resource libraries, Remembrance services, and bereavement counseling. The program was founded by Dr. Donalyn Gross, PhD, LCSW, CMP, who has worked as a thanatologist with the terminally ill and their loved ones for over 25 years.

 

The Grief Recovery Institute released a 2003 report called, “The Grief Index,” which examines the hidden cost of grief in the modern workplace. The Grief Recovery Institute is an internationally recognized authority that provides programs for The Compassionate Friends, The National SIDS Foundation, The National AIDS Network, The University of California at Irvine, Chapman University, and many others.

 

The Mission of The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast is to:
Provide dignified, quality comfort care that enhances the lives of dying people and their families
Assure the long-term mental, spiritual, physical health and general well-being of survivors after loss
Lead and influence the health and human services community in the care of all people affected by end-of-life issues
Shape public opinion and policy on issues related to death, dying, grief and bereavement
Be the center to enhance the quality of life for those affected by death.

 

The Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute section on care for the terminally ill and the dying... is a resource for Catholics who are faced with end-of-life decisions about dignity, quality of life and spiritual well-being.

 

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The mission of Dia Learning is to offer the premium Continuing Education learning experience. This is achieved by using state-of-the-art interactive multimedia that is crafted by an award winning video production team. Dia Learning’s courses are developed by national experts in the topics selected. Continuing Education courses are designed to advance individual and organizational learning and knowledge retention.

 

The Catholic Distance University (CDU) was the first catechetical institute in the United States to receive official approval from the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy to offer adult education courses in the Catholic Faith and to award the Catechetical Diploma by correspondence or distance learning.

 

CDU was established in 1983 to respond to a need for life long spiritual formation and a deeper knowledge of Church Teaching. CDU's mission calls for transmitting faithfully and systematically the teachings of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers, Doctors and Saints.

 

CDU is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council which is listed by the US Department of Education as the "nationally recognized accrediting agency" for distance education institutions. The Accrediting Commission is a recognized member of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

 

The Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Studies (REAPS) is an expression of the catholicity of a great university whose mission is rooted in faith, compassionate in heart, and educated in mind. REAPS provides accessible, affordable, and adult-centered learning designed for busy people. Serving laity,religious, and clergy with user-friendly learning opportunities, REAPS programs enhance educational skills, renew theological perspective, give training in religious education and pastoral care, and embrace the spiritual journey.

 

 

Since 1999, the Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP) at the University of Notre Dame has offered quality theological education to pastoral ministers and other adult Catholics across the country. Conducted via the Internet, STEP provides a wide variety of adult faith formation opportunities.

 

 

The Wayne E. Oates Institute

INTEGRATING SPIRITUALITY, ETHICS, AND HEALING

 

The Wayne E. Oates Institute is a learning community of professional and lay caregivers--chaplains, counselors, congregational leaders, nurses, physicians, social workers, and others-- seeking to advance care for the whole person. This work is done through education, publication, and research.

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A gateway consumer health and human services information web site.

 

Aetna InteliHealth's mission is to empower people with trusted solutions for healthier lives. We accomplish this by providing credible information from the most trusted sources, including Harvard Medical School and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. Established in 1996, Aetna InteliHealth has become one of the leading online health information companies in the world. Our health information includes health news and content as well as access to tools and risk assessments.

 

National Wellness Institute

The National Wellness Institute, founded in 1977, is a self supporting non-profit organization. The National Wellness Institute has steadfastly provided health promotion and wellness professionals unparalleled resources and services that promote both professional and personal growth. The available resources and expertise of NWI are a product of the innovation and quality of service NWI has provided since its inception.  Through the National Wellness Conference, their TestWell Wellness Assessments and member resources, NWI is able to both play a part and share in promoting optimum health and wellness.

 

Find press releases and consumer and policy information. Also offered here are health statistics and child abuse data as well as an opportunity to search for additional facts.

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This site contains information on diagnoses, 50 most common disorders, and 65 most common psychiatric drugs and their effects, warnings, dosage, etc.

 

The Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County is dedicated to improving the mental health of all individuals and achieving victory over mental illnesses through advocacy, education, research and service. This has been described as an excellent site, noting its Caring for the Soul Committee which partners with faith communities ( from Pathways to Promise, which supports an interfaith ministry to those with prolonged mental illnesses).

 

The MHN web site is organized into three separate, easy-to-use sections -- Disorders & Treatments, Professional Resources, and our Reading Room. They have attempted to use a paradigm that is friendly but logical. In each section, you'll find comprehensive resource guides devoted to each topic. They have also attempted to list every available resource for each topic that is presently online, making MHN unique and differentiated from most other resource guides. That means that not only will you find other Web sites of interest, but you'll also find mailing lists, newsgroups, chat rooms, and even resources on some of the commercial services.

 

The National Institute of Mental Health, is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

In 1983, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. Pathways to Promise has developed materials that are helpful in planning an interfaith event or incorporating an emphasis on mental illness in worship services. Visit their website at www.pathways2promise.org for ideas or contact the Pathways office: Fax: (314) 877-6405; e-mail: pathways@mimh.edu.

 

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CatholicMil.org resources

Free resources available to military Catholic chaplains

 

Prayers for Peace

As outlined in the Holy Hour for Those Who Serve in the Military

 

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MUSIC

In conjunction with the opening of this museum, the Smithsonian Instituion's Folkways Recordings has released a CD of Christian music in native languages. "Beautiful Beyond: Christian Songs in Native Languages" includes 33 songs performed by people from tribes across North America, each recorded in the group's native language. The CD is available for sale at the museum's gift shop or on the museum's website at www.nmai.si.edu.

 

Healing Harpist Diane Schneider

Diane Schneider JD PhD is a harpist who specializes in the therapeutic use of the harp.

 

Musical Reflections provides therapeutic music to facilitate healing, transformational growth, and well-being for those experiencing life transitions.

 

Janalea Hoffman founded Rhythmic Medicine in 1978. It is their goal to raise awareness among the general public of specific ways music can be used therapeutically, as a natural alternative for emotional and physical health care challenges.

 

Wisdom of the World creates and publishes musical responses to the challenges of living, infused with a compassionate heart and guided by the humanitarian spirit.

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The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research

The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research houses The HealthCare Chaplaincy's research department and library holdings and is designed to be a place of hospitality and service. The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research will nourish the minds and hearts of generations of pastoral caregivers for years to come. It will be a place of welcome and inquiry for people of every faith who shall come to The HealthCare Chaplaincy to learn the healing arts.

 

Pastoral Care Week gives opportunities for organizations and institutions of all kinds and types to recognize the spiritual caregivers in their midst and the ministry which the caregivers provide.

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The American Correctional Association is a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals representing all facets of corrections & criminal justice, including federal, state, and military correctional facilities and prisons, county jails and detention centers, probation/parole agencies, and community corrections/halfway houses. Comprised of 78 chapters & affiliated organizations and individual members of more than 20,000, ACA serves as the umbrella organization for all areas of corrections.

 

American Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCA)

The American Correctional Chaplains Association, an affiliate of the American Correctional Association (ACA), serves as a professional organization for pastoral care personnel in the corrections field, provides a network for the sharing of information and resources amongst its members and with corrections administrators, formulates standards for chaplaincy and religious programming in correctional facilities, develops and implements certification for correctional chaplains, advances the role of correctional chaplains, and communicates the religious and spiritual aspects of corrections to the larger community.

 

NAHNS Prison Ministry

The St. Dismas Prison Ministry Metanoia Movement is a non-profit organization devoted to the "ministry of reconciliation" in federal, state, country and teenage prisons. This ministry is rooted in the call to be ambassadors for Christ, entrusted with the message of reconciliation.

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Bible: Revised Standard Version

Search the Bible for single words or phrases. Find the co-occurrence of two or three words or phrases. Find combinations of two or three words in a given verse. View individual books or enter a citation and retrieve the selected verses.

 

 

Countway Library of Medicine

The Countway Library of Medicine collects materials in clinical medicine, the biomedical sciences, dentistry and public health. The Library is historically very strong in the clinical specialties, physiology and pathology. In addition, current collecting emphasis is placed on the fields of social medicine, health policy, epidemiological & statistical health resources, and the following basic sciences: molecular biology, microbiology and virology, pharmacology, genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, and biochemistry. The Collection consists of some 680,000 volumes. The Library's collection currently contains over 210,000 book titles and approximately 3000 journal titles.

 

The Haworth Press, Inc.

The Haworth Press publishes journals in various subject areas such as the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, the American Journal of Pastoral Counseling, the Journal of Ministry in Addiction & Recovery, the Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management, the Journal of Religion & Abuse, the Journal of Religion, Disability & Health, the Journal of Religious & Theological Information, the Journal of Religious Gerontology, and Social Thought.

 

The JPCP strives to enhance the pastoral arts and sciences by publishing The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling and related materials and by providing communication services in the areas of pastoral care, counseling, and education.

 

The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company provides an independent voice within the church. Its publications value an open and honest expression of faith and are guided by commitments of justice, peace, and a sustainable world.

 

   

The HealthCare Chaplaincy of New York is sponsoring and underwriting an e-newsletter for chaplains and other spiritual care providers. Their articles are grouped into four areas: professional practice, advocacy, education and research, and spiritual development. PlainViews will also feature a section called TalkBack – envisioned as an opportunity for chaplains to make their views known and to be able to “talk” to each other about best practices in the profession and the common bonds that are shared. The HealthCare Chaplaincy is an organization in New York City that trains and hires chaplains to serve in various health care settings and has established an education and research center working on ways to quantify what chaplains do and how they do it.

 

Stauros U.S.A. is a non-profit organization committed to helping people find meaning, hope and peace in the midst of suffering. Our mission is:

• to further education and dialogue on issues of suffering
• to create opportunities for prayer, retreat, and reflection
• to advocate with and give voice to persons who live with disabilities and suffering
• to build bridges of compassion among all who suffer, their caregivers, and the helping professions

 

The official newsletter of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Vision offers information about current movements in pastoral and spiritual care and helps chart directions for the future.

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This is a directory listing of all the drug treatment centers, alcohol rehabilitation centers, halfway houses, sober houses, eating disorder clinics, and recovery related products in the country. The site is user friendly and services for heroin, cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, anorexia or bulimia can be found at the click of your mouse for adults or adolescents. The site is organized into categories identifying specific needs. Sober.com is committed to providing those in need of substance abuse services the most accurate information available.

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Islam and Islamic Studies Resources

Lots of information, links, and other resources.

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David B. Larson Fellowship in Health and Spirituality

The Library of Congress invites qualified scholars to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship in the field of health and spirituality. Made possible by a generous endowment from the International Center for the Integration of Health and Spirituality (ICIHS), the fellowship is named in honor of the Center's late founder, David B. Larson, an epidemiologist and psychiatrist, who focused on potentially relevant but understudied factors which might help in prevention, coping, and recovering from illness.

 

The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research

The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research houses The HealthCare Chaplaincy's research department and library holdings and is designed to be a place of hospitality and service. The Joan B. and William G. Spears Center for Pastoral Research will nourish the minds and hearts of generations of pastoral caregivers for years to come. It will be a place of welcome and inquiry for people of every faith who shall come to The HealthCare Chaplaincy to learn the healing arts.

 

Mayo Clinic & Foundation for Medical Education and Research
This site contains information for patients and professionals about medical services, information about research programs, and information about Mayo schools and CME programs.

 

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