Planetree Convenes Leaders In Patient-Centered Care

Derby, CT — Over 800 healthcare professionals from across the globe will attend the 2005 Planetree Annual Conference in Chantilly, Virginia October 9-12, 2005. Hosted by Planetree-affiliated hospitals Fauquier Hospital (Warren, VA) and Warren Memorial Hospital (Front Royal, VA), the 2005 Conference carries on the 27-year tradition of convening healthcare practitioners, academics, patient advocates, administrators and architects to advance and expand the patient-centered care movement.

As Planetree’s influence in the healthcare industry becomes increasingly global, this year’s Conference will see an unprecedented international presence, with attendees from the Netherlands, Japan, Iceland, Ireland, Brazil and Canada, as well as the U.S.

Among the keynote speakers for the four-day event will be Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show host Montel Williams sharing his personal experiences since his diagnosis with multiple sclerosis six years ago.

Other keynote speakers will include Dr. David Katz, Medical Contributor for ABC News and author of the book The Way to Eat; Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way; Wayne Jonas, M.D., Director of the Samueli Institute for Information Biology and former Director of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward; and motivational storyteller Kevin Carroll.

In addition to these speakers, the 2005 Planetree Annual Conference will feature breakout sessions on practical strategies for implementing and fostering a patient-centered culture in healthcare institutions. Topics will include employee satisfaction evaluation tools, patient safety, clinical aromatherapy, therapeutic touch and patient-centered facility design, among others.

The Conference will close on Wednesday, October 12th with the Spirit of Caring Awards Dinner, recognizing extraordinary achievements – both of individuals and institutions – in patient-centered care.

The 2005 Conference is being sponsored by Lead Sponsors, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., a leading planning, design and management firm; GetWellNetwork, a healthcare interactive services firm that works to enhance the healing and coping process to patients and care providers; and wired.MD, developer of digital healthcare education tools. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

For more information on participating in the 2005 Planetree Annual Conference as an attendee or a sponsor, call the Planetree National Office at 203.732.1365 or visit www.planetree.org.

Planetree, Inc., — a not-for profit organization based in Derby, CT — has been at the forefront of the effort to humanize, personalize and demystify the healthcare system for nearly three decades. Today, the Planetree Alliance is a global community of 100 acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities and libraries, and represents over 600,000 annual patient admissions; ten million out-patient visits; 90,000 births; and over 80,000 healthcare professionals.

Contact Information

Lisa Donnarumma

Director of Creative and Community Development

Planetree

Contact via E-mail