About Us
Members of the Westchester End-of-Life Coalition are people who live and work in Westchester County, NY. We believe in a community-based approach to the end of life. We are dedicated to improving the quality of life for those with a life-limiting diagnosis.
WELC Vision
A community where all those with life limiting conditions are able to die with dignity, at peace, pain-free, in a place and manner of their choosing; a community where persons who are dying and their families receive competent, compassionate and timely care and support.
WELC Mission Goals
• Educating the community about end-of-life issues and expanding awareness of the importance of these issues.
• Informing the public about available services related to end-of-life care by functioning as a clearing-house and a conduit for networking.
• Identifying the gaps in services and promoting the establishment of services that will fill those gaps.
• Promoting a community where the dying and their caregivers receive the medical, social and spiritual support they need.
• Advocating with policy makers and legislators for laws and regulations that will improve the end-of-life experience.
The Coalition is mindful of the need to reach all residents in our ethnically and economically diverse community and to communicate at all levels of health literacy.
WELC History
In 2001-2002, the Health Advocacy Graduate Program at Sarah Lawrence College and the Service Board of Jansen Memorial Hospice jointly organized “Understanding the End of Life,” a series of six educational programs for the public.
The sessions were very well attended by concerned citizens and professional health care workers from around Westchester County. All expressed the need and desire to improve the end-of-life experience in our community. The Westchester End-of-Life Coalition was founded to build on the interest and energy this series created. …READ MORE…
WELC Board of Directors
Officers
Christina Staudt, Ph.D. ~ President
Co-founder of WELC. Co-chair, Columbia University Seminar on Death. Patient volunteer and member of the Fund Board, Jansen Hospice and Palliative Care.
Mary Beth Morrissey, Esq., MPH ~ President Elect
Chair, Westchester End-of-Life Regional Conference Committee.
Attorney at Law. …READ MORE…