Living With Grief®: Children and Adolescents
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Hospice Foundation of America National Video Teleconference?
- How will hosting a teleconference site benefit my organization and my community?
- How do I register for the teleconference?
- What costs are involved in hosting the teleconference?
- What is the cost for an individual CE certificate?
- Are additional copies of the companion book of articles available?
- There is not a satellite dish at my organization. How can my organization participate?
- What are the webcast requirements?
- Can we provide our own CE’s?
- Are CME’s offered this year?
- What support does HFA provide in the planning and publicizing of the teleconference?
- How do I locate a site in my area?
- What is my Site ID number?
1. What is the Hospice Foundation of America National Video Teleconference?
Annually, the Hospice Foundation of America produces the National Living With Grief Teleconference. The teleconference is a live-via-satellite televised broadcast which is simultaneously "downlinked" to satellite dishes all over the country. This allows an unlimited number of organizations and communities to participate and host the event locally.
"Each teleconference seems to be better organized for content and presentation than the year before. It is a real pleasure to be part of this endeavor!"
--Trish Benton, Hospice of Orange & Sullivan, Newburgh NY
2. How will hosting a teleconference site benefit my organization and my community?
The teleconference allows your organization to offer an award-winning educational program to health care professionals and other caregivers in your community. In addition, you have an opportunity to present your own on-site session as part of the total teleconference program, which provides new opportunities for professional collaboration and peer support and networking. Many organizations co-host sites with other area groups to share resources, broaden audiences, and help develop a strong community network that otherwise might not exist.
The teleconference also offers the opportunity for your organization to provide a high-quality training program to professionals. Three hours of Continuing Education Unit credits are available for a wide range of professions, including nurses, social workers, physicians, psychologists, licensed counselors, nursing home administrators, clergy, EMS personnel, EAP professionals, and funeral directors. Please note: each participant who applies for CEU credits must pay a $25 online processing fee ($35 via the mail) to HFA on the day of the live broadcast, this is submitted with their CEU evaluation.
Hosting organizations are encouraged to hold a local on-site session following the teleconference broadcast. (An on-site session of at least ½-hour in length is required for sites offering CEUs.) The local on-site segment increases personal involvement among the participants, strengthens interaction with the hosting organization, and highlights issues specific to each community.
"I am always surprised at how many people are interested in this program. I have offered it for the past five years and every year there are more participants."
--Marilyn Kooiker, UW Extension, Burnett County WI
3. How do I register for the teleconference?
You may either register online [Registration will open shortly] with a credit card or you may download a registration form here (PDF) and mail this to us with a check or money order.
4. What costs are involved in hosting the teleconference?
There are two registration options for 2009. Register on or before December 1, 2008 and benefit from an early registration discount.
Choose Option 1 ($35 or $60 after December 1) if you would like to print teleconference programs and tip sheets for your audience. The program and tip sheet will be about 8-to-10 pages and can be downloaded for printing and copying after 2/28/09. Please consider whether you have the time, equipment and inclination to make copies for your audience.
Select Option 2 ($45 or $75 after December 1) to have teleconference programs and tips sheets mailed to you. These will be mailed after 2/28/09 and up until April 7.
All site coordinators, regardless of registration type, will receive a complimentary site coordinator's manual and a review copy of the 2009 Diversity and End of Life Care book written by experts.
Additional materials can be purchased at a discount by site coordinators only. To view the teleconference later or include it in your organization's resource library, site coordinators can purchase a copy of the Diversity and End-of-Life Care DVD at a $10 savings. The DVD will be mailed in late May or early June. An extra set of 50 teleconference programs and tip sheets is $11.75, and books for teleconference attendees can be purchased at a 50 percent discount, with an even larger discount for bulk orders of 20 books or more.
The registration fee and orders for additional materials can be paid by check or credit card (Visa/MC/Amex) and must accompany the registration form. HFA does not charge an individual participant fee, although some sites,independently, do charge audience members a small fee at the local level to help cover their costs, such as refreshments and/or room rental fees.
5. What is the cost for an individual CE certificate?
**There is a $25 online processing fee per certificate, per participant,
or $35 via mail. There is a $10 charge for each additional certificate
requested. (Example: If an individual participant is requesting one Alabama
Nurse certificate and one Alabama Social Worker certificate online, then
he/she will owe a total of $35).** Questions about cost per CE certificate? Please contact HFA at 800-854-3402 for clarification.
6. Are additional copies of the companion book of articles available?
Additional materials can be purchased at a discount by site coordinators only. To view the teleconference later or include it in your organization's resource library, site coordinators can purchase a copy of the Diversity and End-of-Life Care DVD at a $10 savings. The DVD will be mailed in late May or early June. An extra set of 50 teleconference programs and tip sheets is $11.75, and books for teleconference attendees can be purchased at a 50 percent discount, with an even larger discount for bulk orders of 20 books or more.
7. There is not a satellite dish at my organization. How can my organization participate?
The analog signal that is used to send out the teleconference can be accessed by a dish with either KU-band or C-band capability, which are the two most common types. To find a dish in your community, contact a local college or university, medical center, municipal office, school system, or even a local hotel. Your local public television station may also be able to assist you.
For the past 15 years, HFA has distributed our annual teleconference via satellite to hundreds of thousands of viewers. We now also provide site coordinators the option to show the teleconference via live streaming video webcast. Please note that the video webcast is only available to sites that register with HFA. You must register to receive the Internet link that will provide you access to the webcast.
8. What are the webcast requirements?
Our 2009 teleconference is available by both satellite and webcast. The teleconference is broadcast over an analog signal on both C-band and KU-band satellites. To broadcast via webcast, please see the system requirements below:
System Requirements:
Windows computer or Mac computer (with OSX)
Windows Media Player:
For Windows, version 7 minimum
(version 9 recommended)
For Mac, version 9
running on OSX operating system
High speed Internet connection:
150KB minimum
500KB or better for optimum quality
(larger window, smoother motion)
Audio capability
If you intend to provide this webcast to a large audience, you will also need an LCD projector and audio public address system.
Please be aware that webcasting does not provide the same level of video quality as satellite broadcasts; if you have shown the HFA teleconference previously to audiences via satellite and change to webcasting, there may be a noticeable viewing difference for your audience. Also, please note that there is no technical support for this webcast and that the clairity of the webcast depends on your as your Internet connection and your Internet service provider. For example, if there is an Internet service outage in your area, you will not be able to view the webcast during the interruption. We strongly suggest testing your system prior to April 16. If you encounter problems, consult your IT services person.
9. Can we provide our own CE’s?
If you are an approved provider for a board that is NOT listed on our List of Board Approvals (ex. Iowa Board of Nursing), then you may be able to offer CE certificates to participants at your site for a minimal content fee. Please contact HFA at 800-854-3402 or via e-mail at telecon@hospicefoundation.org to inquire about CE opportunities for additional boards/providers.
If your participants wish to receive CE’s for a board that we are approved by, then you must go through HFA to receive those certificates. The CE cost is only $25 online per participant/certificate or $35 via mail.
If your organization wishes to pay the processing fees for employees or other participants, then please contact HFA before April 9th, and we will provide you with an online code that your participants may use during the online checkout.
10. Are CME’s offered this year?
No, we are not an approved provider for CME’s, however we are approved by over 70 professional licensing boards across the country. Professionals who may receive CE’s include (but are not limited to) Social Workers, Clergy, Nurses, Case Managers, Funeral Directors, and Art Therapists.
11. What support does HFA provide in the planning and publicizing of the teleconference?
HFA provides each Site Coordinator with comprehensive support materials. These include a Site Coordinator's Manual, a comprehensive "how-to-do-it" guide that provides step-by-step checklists and detailed information. Site Coordinators receive ideas about audience development, guidelines on structuring the local portion of the program, and useful suggestions about planning the event. HFA also provides a complete Media Kit on computer diskette. The kit includes a sample press release, calendar listings, letters to the editor and other officials, public service announcements, and a simple brochure that can be localized with your information. Teleconference materials are made available at HFA's web site in a special password-protected page for Site Coordinators only. Additional materials include programs to distribute to attendees, full CEU support materials, and a copy of HFA's companion book of essays written by leading experts in the field of loss and aging.
12. How do I locate a site in my area?
You may view a list of registered sites by visiting our website at www.hospicefoundation.org. Please click on the Teleconference section on the left-hand side of the screen and then select “Find A Host Site.” This database is updated on a weekly basis, so if you can not locate a site near you, please check back.
13. What is my Site ID number?
This number can be found on your registration confirmation/receipt that
was e-mailed to you. If you did not receive this email confirmation, please contact HFA at 800-854-3402 or via email at telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
