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Press ReleasesNHPCO Offers Message of Condolence upon Tragedy at BlacksburgApril 17 , 2007 – All of us at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization extend our deepest condolences to the many people who have been affected by the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those suffering and are affected by this incomprehensible violence. As the news continues to unfold, we hear frightening accounts by survivors and other students. Video footage from cell phones taken during the tragedy is showing on news programs and on the Internet. These accounts make the horrific events very real to all of us. Tragedies like this trigger significant grief responses: to those in the immediate campus vicinity, the larger Blacksburg community and even our nation. We are encouraging those who are affected to seek out resources to help them cope with trauma and the grief that accompanies it. We also encourage our members, who have staff with training and expertise in critical incidents, trauma and its aftermath, to serve as resources to those in their communities. While some hospices may have trained and skilled staff that can serve as immediate responders, others do not. However, offering ongoing support to survivors of public tragedy is a natural extension of hospice’s mission and community focus. Some will provide educational sessions around trauma and grief; others will offer support groups or assist in referrals to community resources. Still others will distribute information on helping children struggling with grief and loss; all of these approaches can be helpful and appreciated. Even programs without specific resources can join with broader community efforts, through campus counseling centers, school counselors, community mental health agencies and other agencies and professionals to respond to the tragedy. At difficult times like this, it is important to recognize the appropriate role for us to play. We know from past public tragedies and disasters that volunteers should avoid going directly into stricken areas unless they are working in coordination with an emergency relief organization. Hospice’s role and best opportunity to be helpful often comes later; in long-term coping with significant tragedy, in helping the public understand their reactions and learn how to cope, in helping people shore up their support networks and connect with their communities or, in some cases, assessing individual needs for more specific intervention. Amidst this tragedy, it is important that we remember we are all part of a greater humanity. Neighbors help neighbors. Communities come together to support one another. Families and friends unite. In our essential role, we know well that attention to, care of and support for all individuals is essential. There are many ways we can connect with the greater humanity around us; part of this comes from understanding that people find solace and comfort in different ways. Recognizing the differences among us, the unique needs we each have and the skills and resources that we can individually and collectively provide to our communities are all factors that allow us to integrate our lives with that of the world around us – a world that is too often scarred by loss and tragedy. Resources: Here are some suggested articles from NHPCO’s member publication, Insights, written by NCHPP members that offer insight into the role hospice and palliative care providers might play:
Caring Connections has made four articles available that may be of interest to consumers and those working with the public. Visit this special page, "Articles relating to the shooting at Virginia Tech," available on www.caringinfo.org. Additional Online Resources: # # # |
