| 2021 |
ALZHEIMER’S & CAREGIVING – The unfortunate reality is that people with Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia have become the largest group of patients we care for at VNA Health. Actress Jane Seymour presents the documentary, I’LL BE ME, a touching and informative film about Oscar® Nominee, GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and Country Music Hall of Fame member Glen Campbell, and caregiving for his Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Welcome by President & CEO Lynda Tanner and introduction by Jane Seymour
- Panel Discussion with Kim Campbell, Alzheimer’s Disease Advocate and widow of legendary singer and guitarist Glen Campbell; Dr. Kenneth S. Kosik, Internationally renowned Alzheimer’s Disease Researcher and Principal Investigator of the Kosik Neurobiology Lab at UCSB; Dr. Michael Bordofsky, VNA Health Medical Director and Board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine; and Jane Seymour, Emmy Award-winning actress, artist, business woman and Executive Producer of I’LL BE ME.
|
| 2020 |
PHENOMENAL RESEARCH ON END-OF-LIFE EXPERIENCES – Dr. Christopher Kerr returns to discuss his latest findings. In his first study, using quantifiable data, Dr. Kerr demonstrated that pre-death dreams and visions are experienced by the majority of dying patients, with positive psychological and spiritual benefits. He will now discuss recent studies which examine how such experiences help the dying grow and adapt as life ends as well as the effect of these experiences on the loved ones left behind. Afterwards, Dr. Michael Kearney, VNA Health Associate Medical Director explores with Dr. Kerr how end-of-life dreams and visions may be a profound source of meaning and comfort for the dying and the bereaved. |
| 2019 |
VALIDATING DREAMS & VISIONS OF THE DYING with Dr. Christopher Kerr, a neurobiologist and CEO & Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo, New York. Dreams and visions of the dying have been well documented throughout history and across cultures; and typically, they are perceived to be deathbed delirium, hallucinations, or agitation. Dr. Kerr’s research is the first scientific study aimed to demystify and validate patients’ end-of-life experiences to understand their role in helping patients live well and die well. Join Dr. Michael Kearney, VNHC Associate Medical Director as he explores with Dr. Kerr how these end-of-life dreams and visions are characterized by a consistent sense of realism, and may be a profound source of potential meaning and comfort for the dying and bereaved. |
| 2018 |
MUSIC IS MEDICINE: COMFORT & RENEWAL AFTER LOSS with a keynote performance by Gary Malkin, a multiple Emmy, Clio, and ASCAP award-winning recipient. Music is the universal language of emotion. Music therapy offers emotional support and provides an outlet for reflection and expression of feelings, ultimately improving one’s quality of life. As our community continues to recover and rebuild from the Thomas Fire and Jan 9 mudslides, VNHC offers this event in support of community healing. |
| 2017 |
WHAT MATTERS MOST WHEN YOU ARE DYING – If you were dying, what would be important to you? Completing your bucket list? Getting your affairs in order? Dying well at home? Join Lani Leary, PhD and Michael Kearney, MD and learn how hospice care helps patients and families focus on what matters most. |
| 2016 |
SUSTAINING THE VITALITY OF HOME HEALTH CARE – Keynote Speaker Tracey Moorhead, President & CEO, Visiting Nurse Associations of America and distinguished panel of healthcare leaders including Dr. Charles Fenzi, CEO & Chief Medical Officer, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics; Bob Freeman, CEO, CenCal Health; Elizabeth Majestic, MS, MPH, Vice President of Population Health, Cottage Health; Rhonda Spiegel, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Takashi Wada, MD, MPH, Director & Health Officer, Santa Barbara County Public Health; and moderated by Lynda Tanner, RN, MSN, VNHC President & CEO. |
| 2015 |
Local industry leaders return to discuss and share fresh perspectives in healthcare: Panel Host and Moderator Lynda Tanner, RN, MSN – VNHC President & CEO; Michael C. Bordofsky, MD; VNHC Medical Director and President of Santa Barbara Preferred Health Partners; Steven Fellows, COO & Executive Vice President, Cottage Health System; Bob Freeman, CEO, CenCal Health; Fred Kass, MD, Medical Director of Research and Wellness, Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic; and Kurt N. Ransohoff, MD, CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Sansum Clinic. |
| 2014 |
Local industry leaders present their perspectives on healthcare and the impact on our community. Panel Host Lynda Tanner, RN, MSN, VNHC President & CEO; Edward S. Bentley, MD, Santa Barbara Gastroenterology Medical Group; Bob Freeman, CEO, CenCal Health; Fred C. Kass, MD, Medical Director of Research and Wellness, Cancer Center Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic; Kurt N. Ransohoff, MD, CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Sansum Clinic; Ron Werft, President & CEO, Cottage Health System; and Panel Moderator Michael C. Bordofsky, MD, VNHC Medical Director. |
Michele is Founder and CEO of Soaring Spirits, the Camp Widow program, and Director of the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center. Since 2008, Soaring Spirits is the world’s largest inclusive network of widowed people, dedicated to helping widowers overcome their grief. Michelle is a Top 10 CNN Hero of 2021, and has been featured on national broadcast media outlets and in print media, including Oprah’s Favorite Things Show.
Dr. Hranicky has an extensive multi-disciplinary education and training background in Behavioral Medicine. She is a pioneer in the field of PsychoNeuroimmunology and Cancer. She has worked extensively with people with Stage 4 Cancer and looked at the role of the mind in getting well, quality of life, and quality of death. Her integrative approach includes training with leaders in their unique disciplines, like Dr. Taibi Kahler, Dr. O. Carl Simonton, Dr. Valery Hunt, and Dr. Thomas Rau.
Mariela earned a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Santa Barbara in 2005 and returned to their alma mater to serve as faculty starting in 2006. Currently, as Affiliate Faculty, they also serve as mentor for the Latinx Mental Health concentration and teach multiple courses including Multicultural Awareness, Clinical Skills, Bilingual Group Process and Clinical Skills in a Multicultural Context. In addition, Mariela is the Executive Director of Community Counseling and Education Center, a local nonprofit serving clients on a sliding scale.
Jerry Roberts: Jerry is a veteran, prize-winning journalist with nearly 50 years in the news business as a reporter, editor, senior executive, author, radio and TV analyst and commentator, lecturer and teacher. He has received the prestigious First Amendment Award from PEN-USA, was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the California News Publishers Association, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for a team project that led to widespread reforms in the use of safety needles in the medical industry. The co-founder and host of “Newsmakers,” a local news site that covers Santa Barbara public policy and politics, he is the author of a biography of Senator Dianne Feinstein, co-founder of the politics website “Calbuzz” and a political analyst for KEYT-TV and KCRW-FM. The documentary “Citizen McCaw” chronicles his fight for ethical journalism.
