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2018 VITAS Healthcare Scholarship Recipient Making Strides

to Change Perception of Hospice Amongst Haitian Community

BY DR. JOEL POLICZER care to people who in many cases have
never seen a doctor or health care
Stevenson Chery, a Haitian student provider.
who attended undergraduate college at Stevenson has already identified that in
the University of Florida, graduate his culture there is a need to prepare for
school at the University of Central end of life that is not being addressed. It
Florida and medical school at Florida is impressive how he is developing ways
International University, was recently of meeting that need in a culturally
awarded the 2018 VITAS Healthcare appropriate manner.
Scholarship. VITAS is honored to support incredible
The scholarship is designed to reduce individuals, like Stevenson, who are
the burden of medical education debt for proactively identifying new approaches
a student at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim to end-of-life care.
College of Medicine (HWCOM) who Chery plans to continue mission trips
successfully matched into a primary care with KORE Haiti, and eventually inte-
residency program. Chery graduated in grate end-of-life care services and train
April 2018 and will continue his medical other providers and healthcare profes-
training in family medicine at Jackson sionals. The next medical mission trip to
Memorial Hospital. Chery was awarded Haiti is scheduled for March 23-29,
the scholarship for the work he is doing 2019. The trips typically consist of
to change the perception of hospice care (l-r) Stevenson Chery and Dr. Joel Policzer healthcare providers, medical students,
among the Haitian and other minority pre-med students and other individuals
communities in South Florida. VITAS Healthcare, the leading provider was not a topic he had even heard of with a heart to help.
“While hospice and end-of-life care is of end-of-life care in the United States, prior to moving to the United States from If you are interested in attending the
widely accepted and appreciated in the looks for scholarship recipients with a Haiti in 2004. upcoming KORE Haiti mission trip, visit
U.S., there are still many other countries deep appreciation for the needs of termi- He hopes to help change this view of www.korehaiti.org/mission.html.
and cultures who still have a stigma with nally ill patients and their families hospice in other countries by incorporat- VITAS understands the importance of
it. For example, many Caribbean cultures through a submitted essay. ing end-of-life care into the services pro- being sensitive to and aware of different
– several of which are very common in In his winning essay Chery noted that vided by KORE Haiti, a non-profit organ- cultures so that the multidisciplinary
South Florida – find just talking about during his upbringing, death was the ization he and two of his classmates teams can provide culturally appropriate
death taboo,” said Chery. “Since South norm because life expectancy in Haiti is founded in their first year of medical interactions with patients and their fam-
Florida is a melting pot with a variety of in the early to mid-50s, but death was school to sponsor medical mission trips ilies.
different cultures, I’m determined to edu- never talked about. He experienced this to Haiti.
cate diverse communities about the many first-hand when his family was shocked The organization applies the concept Dr. Joel Policzer is VITAS Healthcare
benefits end-of-life care can bring to and despaired upon the death of his of social determinants of health that the senior vice president of medical affairs.
patients and families, and that it is a topic grandmother, even though she had been students learned at HWCOM, while To learn more about VITAS Healthcare,
that should be talked about.” bedridden for two years. End-of-life care offering health education and medical visit www.vitas.com.

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6 July 2018 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News