News Release

July 29, 2003

“Integrating Spirituality In Healthcare” Conference Scheduled for November

(HOUSTON) – “Integrating Spirituality in Healthcare,” a conference for healthcare professionals will be held November 7 through 9 at Camp Allen Episcopal Conference Center near Navasota, Texas. The conference is sponsored by The Episcopal Diocese of Texas, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities and the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Church of America.

“The purpose of this conference is to expose healthcare professionals to research results and current practices in medical centers and medical and nursing schools, which have observed a positive relationship between spirituality and health in a clinical setting,” said The Rev. Bob Wells, Conference Chair. “Additionally, we wish to give healthcare professionals a chance to share their experiences and provide opportunities for worship and spiritual growth.”

Conference keynote speakers are:

• Larry Dossey, M.D., author of the New York Times bestseller, Healing Words, Prayer is Good Medicine and Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing
• Barbara Dossey, Ph.D., R.N., HNC, FAAN, author of Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer
• Christina M. Puchalski, M.D., assistant professor, Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at the George Washington School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and founder and director of The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health

Eight workshops will be offered on the following topics:

• “A Sacramental View of Healthcare,” by The Rev. Michael Attas, M.D., cardiologist and director of medical humanities at Baylor University in Waco.
• “Psychological Perspectives on Patients’ Experience of Their Religious and Spiritual Lives,” by James W. Lomax, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston
• “Prayer and the Spiritual Life of the Practitioner,” by Ralph W. Noble III, M.D., professor of pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston
• “Spirituality, Healing and the Labyrinth,” by M. Kay Sandor, Ph.D., R.N, L.P.C., H.N.C., professor of nursing at UTMB’s School of Nursing
• “Journaling and Dream Analysis,” by The Rev. John W. Price, chaplain at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston
• “Spirituality and Reflective Listening in Clinical Practice,” by Michelle Sierpina, M.S., The Institute for the Medical Humanities at UTMB
• “Spirituality in Clinical Practice,” by Victor S. Sierpina, M.D., professor of family medicine at UTMB
• “Spirituality and End-of-Life Issues,” by Porter Storey, M.D., medical director of the Palliative Care Center at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital

The conference registration fee for physicians is $300 and $175 for other healthcare professionals and spouses. The conference fee includes all conference materials, two workshops, six meals and a two-night hotel stay. Participants may extend their stay by making separate arrangements with Camp Allen. Attendance is limited, so interested individuals should make their reservations early.

For more information on “Integrating Spirituality in Healthcare,” visit www.hellotospirituality.org/healthcare.htm or call Rev. Wells at (832) 355-8428. Conference participants will be given the opportunity to experience the labyrinth anytime during the conference. A brief explanatory handout and meditation guide will be available at the entrance of the labyrinth.

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St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System is a comprehensive health system that meets the primary and tertiary healthcare needs of the community. Established by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, the System includes the flagship St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, St. Luke’s Community Health Services, KS Management Services, LLP, and St. Luke’s Community Medical Center (CMC)-The Woodlands. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute. The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s is consistently ranked in the top 10 cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.