Zakim Grant Supports Center For Communication in Medicine® Programs

The Center for Communication In Medicine® has received a grant from the Lenny Zakim Fund to present community education programs which explore the patient's experience of illness and its impact on families, friends and the medical practitioners who care for them. Effective communication is vital in addressing the healthcare needs and concerns of all those within the sphere of illness. The award will fund Good Communication is Good Medicine® forums in Vermont and Boston. The programs will include viewing of the Center's new film Voices from The Lived World of Illness: Men Do Talk followed by a panel discussion with interactive audience participation. Men do care about health issues but often find it difficult to express their fears. Studies suggest that men and women tend to approach illness differently. Women are better at building relationships with doctors and ask more questions. As a result, men are offered less information for making informed decisions, which could have an influence on quality of care and health outcomes. This communication gap can also impact families and lead to frustrations for caregivers.

The Lenny Zakim Fund is a Boston based organization that provides assistance to those community organizations and programs that demonstrate the will and potential to make a difference.

This is the second Zakim grant received by the Center for Communication In Medicine®, a Bennington, Vermont non-profit that produces programs to educate patients, families and the medical practitioners that care for them about the key role of communication in making informed healthcare decisions and improving quality of care. The community forums are scheduled for Fall 2007. For more information about the Center's programs visit www.communicationinmedicine.org or call 802-442-5800.