The Dr. George E. Schreiner ’43 Pre-Medical Center helped sponsor the Omega Home Network National Conference held in Buffalo June 2-4, 2025. This Network promotes and supports community comfort care homes for dying people across the United States. Several generations of Griffs were key to the success of this conference. The conference was organized by Sloan Comfort Care Home, the first comfort care home in Erie County. Alumna and palliative care physician, Kathleen Grimm ‘77, MD, helped found and serves as the board chair for the Sloan Home. This past spring Dr. Grimm served as a mentor to Tarin Reitz ’26, who completed her premed internship at the Sloan Home. In addition to learning about palliative care and end-of-life care, Tarin also learned about running a non-profit and helped to organize the conference. Tarin, along with fellow premed and current Sloan Home volunteer, Evan Folsom ’26, and premed advisor, Dr. Allyson Backstrom, served as session moderators at the conference.
Alumnus, Jonathan Bartels ‘90, RN, gave the conference keynote address, “Compassion…Something We Can Not Afford to Lose!” Bartels, a palliative care nurse liaison, developed and implemented “The Pause” while working as an emergency trauma nurse. “The Pause” is a process through which providers can stop and take time to honor the death of a patient, provide closure to the medical team, family and patient, and promote practicing resiliency amongst providers.
Last year, as part of a service-learning course, Dr. Grimm and several colleagues provided Mercy (end-of-life) Doula training for Canisius premed/pre-health students, Canisius physician assistant students, and Jacobs School of Medicine medical students. Canisius undergraduates then volunteered at Sloan Home. Another round of Mercy Doula training is being planned for this fall.
Submitted by: Allyson Backstrom, Director, Dr. George E. Schreiner ’43 Pre-Medical Center
