P² COLLABORATIVE OF WESTERN NEW YORK ANNOUNCES ACCLAIMED COLUMNIST ELLEN GOODMAN AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR ITS 2014 “CREATING A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY” CONFERENCE

The conference will take place October 9 at the Millennium Hotel Buffalo

West Seneca, N.Y. - P² Collaborative of Western New York will welcome acclaimed columnist Ellen Goodman as the keynote speaker for its 2014 “Creating a Healthier Community” Conference on October 9.

Ms. Goodman’s presentation, “Have You Had the Conversation?” will address how to discuss one’s wishes for end-of-life care. Her keynote address will open the conference to be held at Millennium Hotel Buffalo, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga, N.Y. Ms. Goodman is scheduled to speak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., with a question-and-answer session to follow, from 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

“We are excited and honored to have a nationally known speaker like Ellen for this year’s P² Conference,” said Kate Ebersole, Director of Care Transformation and Community Health Improvement. “We consider the topic she is speaking on to be not only timely, but also essential to creating a healthier Western New York.”

Ms. Goodman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning, syndicated columnist and author, co-founded The Conversation Project in 2010. The Conversation Project’s goal is to encourage families, friends and medical practitioners to have frank discussions about end-of-life decisions.

Kathleen T. Grimm, M.D., of the Center for Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo Niagara and co-chair, Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, will continue the theme of end-of-life discussions, addressing local perspectives on the Conversation Project. Dr. Grimm will speak from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

The P² Collaborative conference will also feature the following presenters:

-       Thomas Workman, Ph.D., principal communication researcher, American Institute for Research (AIR), Washington, D.C.  Dr. Workman, who leads AIR’s Center for Patient and Consumer Engagement, will speak on the topic “Shared Decision-Making,”

-       Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D., Program Officer for New York State Department of Health, Diabetes Prevention,  and Lourdes Rodriquez, Dr.PH, a research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Program Officer at the New York State Health Foundation, will present on the topic “Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America’s Sorted-out Cities.”

-       Open Buffalo, will present a panel discussion of “Community Building.” Open Buffalo, is a civic initiative to make major, long-term improvements in justice and equity; it is an unprecedented collaboration among a diverse group of partners; and it is one of three projects in the nation chosen for the Open Places Initiative of the Open Society Foundations.

Tickets are priced at a $125 each. For more information on the P² Collaborative 2014 conference, event speakers, the full schedule and ticket purchases, please visit www.p2wny.org.

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About P² Collaborative:

The P² Collaborative of Western New York is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating the healthiest community possible through regional convening, capacity building, and data services. We drive innovations in health and health care in the area by bringing together individuals, community-based organizations, primary care practices, hospitals, health plans and other unique partners to exponentially magnify their impact. We work with individuals and organizations across the eight counties of WNY (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming). For more information, visit www.p2wny.org.