U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Designating National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution declaring Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 as National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care. The resolution, initiated by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a New Jersey-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting compassionate, patient-centered care was sponsored by U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg to raise awareness of the importance of compassionate relationships between healthcare professionals and their patients as a means of improving healthcare outcomes. The day is an opportunity for all healthcare professionals and patients to draw attention to the importance of attitudes that are sensitive to the values, autonomy, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of patients and their families.

The Gold Foundation requested the resolution to highlight the importance of compassion in healthcare as expressed by Dr. Randall Friese, triage physician at the University of Arizona Medical Center. When queried, he stated that the most important treatment he provided to Congress member Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot on Jan. 8, 2011, was to hold her hand and reassure her that she would be cared for. To honor that spirit of caring, the first annual Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care was held on Feb. 14, 2011, when healthcare students and professionals across the country performed acts of compassion and kindness toward patients, families of patients, and healthcare colleagues. This year, led by their GHHS Chapters, National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care was celebrated by over 72 schools of medicine and osteopathy and healthcare institutions across the country, touching thousands of lives with the message of the importance of compassionate patient care

The day is a reminder to physicians, nurses, all other healthcare professionals and medical facilities that they are charged with providing both the art and science of medicine and to promote mindfulness of the need to treat the patient rather than the disease, says Dr. Richard Levin, president and CEO of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Scientific research illustrates that when healthcare professionals practice humanistically, demonstrating the qualities of integrity, excellence, compassion, altruism, respect, empathy, and service, their patients have better medical outcomes."

For more information about National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care visit http://bit.ly/SolidarityDay2013

Source: Arnold P. Gold Foundation