APPENDIX

INFORMATION ON ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD OF DEATH AND DYING

Mary J. Carvlin

Alcor Life Extension Foundation

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation (ALEF) is a nonprofit corporation that offers interested people the option of being cryonically suspended after their death. Cryonics is the process of preserving clinically dead people at very low temperatures, maintained in liquid nitrogen, in hopes of returning them to life and health when medical science has become sophisticated enough to do so. Starting in the latter part of the twentieth century there has been a trend toward neural (head only) preservation with the expectation that it will eventually be possible to reconstitute the whole body. The ALEF believes that researchers will someday find a way to halt and even reverse the aging process, with the opportunity for people to extend their lives for centuries.

The ALEF was founded in 1972 and had forty members in suspension by 2001. The ALEF publishes Cryonics, a quarterly magazine that deals with the topic of life extension, as well as such booklets as Cryonics and Christianity, addressing the religious concerns of Christians who may wish to become members.

Alcor maintains a number of full-time salaried employees and also relies on many volunteers. The organization states that the majority of the money it receives from its members is spent on clinical procedures, administrative overhead, research, and the Patient Care Fund. The fund is designed for maintaining and eventually restoring people who are in suspension. The cost of cryonic suspension at Alcor ranges from $50,000 to $120,000.

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is headquartered at 7895 E. Acoma Drive, Suite 110, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-6916. They can be reached by phone at 877-GO-ALCOR or by e-mail at info@ alcor.org. Additional information can be obtained through the ALEF web site: www.alcor.org.

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) is an organization whose members are physicians committed to the role of hospice and palliative care in medical practice, education, and research. In particular, they seek to firmly establish hospice and palliative care as a formal role of medical doctors.

The AAHPM states its mission as achieving excellence in palliative medicine, preventing and relieving suffering among patients and families, providing education, establishing clinical practice standards, fostering research, facilitating professional development, and advocating for public policy.

The AAHPM was originally organized as the Academy of Hospice Physicians in 1988. Although a number of organizations exist for those interested in issues of hospice, the AAHPM asserts that it is the only organization in the United States for physicians dedicated to the advancement of hospice/ palliative medicine in practice, research, and education. The academy expresses its intention to begin an organized discipline devoted to the specialties of palliative care and the management of terminal illness. The academy states its belief that the role of the physician includes helping even those patients who cannot be cured.

The academy conducts continuing medical education courses for members and provides peer support services to hospice and palliative care physicians. It also encourages accreditation of physician training programs in hospice and palliative care. The AAHPM works to educate the public regarding the rights of the dying and other issues affecting hospice and palliative medicine.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is headquartered at 4700 W. Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025-1485. They can be reached by phone at 847-375-4712 or by e-mail at aahpm@aahpm.org. Additional information can be obtained through the AAHPM web site: www.aahpm.org.

American Association of Suicidology

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) brings together individuals and groups who are interested in advancing the study of suicide prevention and life-threatening behavior. Its members include psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, health educators, physicians, directors of suicide prevention centers, clergy, and others from various disciplines.

The AAS was founded in 1968 and has five regional groups and is affiliated with the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). The AAS holds an annual meeting each spring.

The AAS works to recognize and encourage suicidology, which is the study of suicide, suicide prevention, and related aspects of self-destruction. The AAS promotes education, disseminates information through programs and publications, and cooperates with other organizations involved in suicidology.

The AAS has several publications that come with its membership, the most significant being Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, the official journal of the American Association of Suicidology. For three decades, the journal has provided a forum for professionals throughout the world to examine approaches to life-threatening behaviors. The journal investigates the complexity of suicidality and its treatment, addressing biological, statistical, psychological, and sociological approaches. The journal provides readers with the latest research on such topics as predictors and risk factors for suicidal behaviors. It also reviews important new resources in the field, including professional books, assessment scales, and international conference reports. Issues of the journal can be viewed on the Guilford Publications web site at www.guilford.com.

The American Association of Suicidology is headquartered at 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 408, Washington, DC 20008. They can be reached by phone at 202-237-2280 or by fax at 202-237-2282. Additional information can be obtained at the AAS web site: www.suicidology.org

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a voluntary health organization dedicated to controlling and eliminating cancer. The ACS seeks to prevent cancer and save lives through programs of research, education, patient service, advocacy, and rehabilitation.

The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913, and for more than eighty years has been the leader in cancer research. The ACS supports research through grants to individuals and institutions. The organization also supports service and rehabilitation programs for cancer patients and their families. It develops and directs educational programs for the public and for doctors and other health professionals. One of the primary goals of ACS is to provide the most accurate and current information on cancer. ACS promotes policies, laws, and regulations that benefit patients and families affected by cancer. The ACS publishes several annual reports and bimonthly journals that provide medical professionals with important research and statistical information on cancer.

A national board of 124 volunteer directors governs the ACS. Half the directors are laypersons and half are doctors and scientists. Most society funds are raised in its annual community crusade during April, designated as Cancer Control Month by the U.S. Congress in 1938.

The ACS is headquartered at 1599 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. It has seventeen chartered divisions throughout the country and over 3,400 local offices. Local programs established by the ACS serve to educate the public about cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, survival, and quality of life. Additional information can be obtained through the ACS web site: www.cancer.org.

American Cryonics Society

The American Cryonics Society (ACS) is an organization for people who are interested in extending life through cryonics. Cryonics refers to the freezing of clinically dead humans in anticipation of reviving the person when the necessary scientific and medical technology becomes available. A person held in such a state is said to be in cryonic suspension. Maintenance of the body involves placing and keeping it in a container filled with liquid nitrogen. As a membership-only organization, the American Cryonics Society contracts with other organizations for the suspension and caretaking of suspended bodies.

The cryonics movement began in 1962, receiving a boost with the publication of The Prospect of Immortality by Robert C. W. Ettinger in 1964. The book explores the arguments and ideas that have given rise to cryonics and is a founding book of the movement. The ACS was founded in 1969 as the Bay Area Cryonics Society, changing its name in 1985.

The organization helps interested people arrange for their own cryonic suspension. It promotes and sponsors research, education, and information about cryonic suspension, life extension sciences, and low-temperature medicine. It conducts programs to freeze tissue samples from endangered species for possible future cloning.

The ACS publishes American Cryonics, a semiannual journal that gives readers a summary of research and national news regarding cryonics. They also publish the monthly Immortalist, featuring articles on cryonics, health, aging research, and science.

The American Cryonics Society can be contacted at P.O. Box 1509, Cupertino, CA 95015. They can be reached by phone at 800-523-2001 or by e-mail at cryonics@jps.net.

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a national voluntary health agency organized to fight diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The AHA seeks to reduce premature death and disability from cardiovascular disease and stroke by sponsoring research, community services, and professional and public education on heart disease. The association coordinates efforts of the medical profession in its fight against heart and circulatory disease.

The AHA was founded in 1924 and has fifty-six state offices and nearly 2,000 local offices. It has about 26,000 active members, including several thousand physicians and scientists. About 2.5 million volunteers also participate in the work of the association. The American Stroke Association is a division of the AHA.

The association gains all of its financial support from the general public through contributions, mainly from its Heart Campaign held each February and its Heart Fund.

The AHA publishes current research in the monthly medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. The AHA also publishes several other publications regarding cardiac medicine.

The American Heart Association is headquartered at 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231-4596. People can contact and make donations to the AHA by calling 800-AHA-USA1, or visiting them on the web at www.pfk.com/aha/DonateOnlineGeneral.asp. Additional information can be obtained through the AHA web site: www.americanheart.org.

American Hospice Foundation

The American Hospice Foundation (AHF) is a charitable nonprofit corporation that seeks to aid those who face life-limiting illness and significant loss. The foundation advances the hospice concept of care; that is, a family centered concept of health care for people dying of an incurable illness. The hospice concept aims at easing the physical and psychological pain of the patient's illness so that the person can appreciate his or her remaining life. The hospice team includes the patient and his or her family, as well as physicians, nurses, social workers, members of the clergy, and volunteers. Hospice services may include nursing care and pain control, meal preparation, laundry, or shopping. This care may be provided at home, in a separate hospice medical center, or in a hospice unit of a hospital.

The AHF seeks to ensure the availability of hospice care for many who might otherwise not have such care available. The foundation aids programs that serve the needs of the terminally ill by supporting a range of community bereavement programs. The AHF promotes hospice benefits in health insurance and managed care programs, and fosters research on consumer needs. The American Hospice Foundation creates educational campaigns to aid bereaved employees and coworkers. It offers training and materials on grieving children for teachers and school counselors, and educational programs for clergy.

The American Hospice Foundation can be contacted at 2120 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037. They can be reached by phone at 202-223-0204, by fax at 202-223-0208, or by e-mail at ahf@msn.com. Additional information can be obtained through the AHF web site: www.americanhospice.org.

American Lung Association

The American Lung Association (ALA) works to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. The association works to combat causes of lung problems, including smoking and environmental lung hazards such as air pollution.

The ALA was founded in 1904 to combat tuberculosis, and has become the oldest nationwide voluntary public health agency in the United States. The ALA has about 130 state and local affiliates.

The ALA provides public health education programs and materials on diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, and lung disorders in infants. It supports medical research and awards grants to medical professionals who specialize in lung health.

The work of the association is funded by public-contributions, especially by its annual Christmas Seal Campaign. Additional funding comes from gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, and government agencies.

The ALA works to offer a variety of smoking control and prevention programs, some targeting adults and others intended for schools. ALA offers its Freedom from Smoking program, considered a top smoking cessation program.

In its work to fight lung disease caused by air pollution, the ALA led the fight for clean air, and became a key source of information on the hazards of air pollution. The association seeks to influence the laws and regulations related to lung health. It helped pass the federal Clean Air Act, as well as the law prohibiting smoking on airplanes.

Headquarters of the American Lung Associationare in New York City. The ALA informs and educates the public about lung disease through its web site, public service announcements, news releases, and conferences. To reach a local American Lung Association office, call 800-LUNG-USA (800-586-4872). Additional information can be --obtained through the ALA web site: www.lungusa.org.

Americans for Better Care of the Dying

Americans for Better Care of the Dying (ABCD) is a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all Americans receive adequate care at the end of life. The ABCD seeks to instill comfort, dignity, and meaning to the dying process for family members as well as their loved ones.

The organization was founded in 1997. Its goals are to reform current practices of caring for the dying, explore new systems for delivering care to the dying, and to shape public policy relating to end-of-life issues. It also seeks to improve standards of practice among professionals and greater reimbursement for end-of-life care.

ABCD aims to improve pain management, increase financial reimbursement, enhance care, support family caregivers, and change public policy. It helps organizations and individuals improve community care systems and assists health care organizations in implementing improvements. ABCD helps build networks of interested parties so they can share their expertise.

Americans for Better Care of the Dying is headquartered at 4125 Albemarle Street NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20016. They can be reached by phone at 202-895-9485, by fax at 202-895-9484, or by e-mail at info@abcd-caring.org. Additional information can be obtained through the ABCD web site: www.abcd-caring.org.

American SIDS Institute

The American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute (ASIDSI), often called the American SIDS Institute, is a nonprofit organization of health care professionals, researchers, and laypeople concerned about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby under one year of age. Members include families who have lost babies to SIDS. The precise cause of these deaths is not known, and ASIDSI supports efforts to identify the cause and cure of SIDS.

The American SIDS Institute was founded in 1983. The institute seeks to advance infant health through clinical services, education, research, and support for SIDS families. Its sponsorship of research programs includes conducting research on siblings of babies lost to SIDS who are at higher risk. The ASIDSI conducts seminars for health care professionals and laypeople and maintains a speakers' bureau.

Because there is no known cure for SIDS, the institute works to inform the public of risk factors for SIDS in order to reduce those risks. Known risk factors include premature birth to extremely young mothers, lack of prenatal care, and exposure of the mother to cigarette smoke, alcohol, or narcotics during pregnancy. Poverty, poorly ventilated rooms, soft mattresses, and too much clothing or covers at bedtime also increase a baby's risk for SIDS. By promoting such information, the ASIDSI helped reduce the numbers of SIDS deaths in the early 1990s.

The American SIDS Institute's headquarters are at 2480 Windy Hill Road, Suite 380, Marietta, GA 30067. They can be reached by phone at 800-232-SIDS or by e-mail at prevent@sids.org. Additional information can be obtained through the ASIDSI web site: www.sids.org.

Association for Death Education and Counseling

The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) is a multidisciplinary professional nonprofit organization dedicated to creating high standards in death education, bereavement counseling, and care of the dying. ADEC's primary goal is to enhance the ability of professionals and laypeople to be better able to meet the needs of those with whom they work in death education and grief counseling. ADEC works to promote and share research, theories, and practice in dying, death, and bereavement. The association aims to provide an arena for professionals of various disciplines to advance awareness of issues in dying, death, and bereavement.

The ADEC began in 1976, with the Forum for Death Education and Counseling, organized by a group of educators and clinicians. The organization grew into the Association for Death Education and Counseling. ADEC is the oldest interdisciplinary organization in the field of dying, death, and bereavement. Members of ADEC include educators, counselors, nurses, physicians, mental health professionals, clergy, funeral directors, and social workers.

The ADEC hosts an annual conference and provides professional resources for its members. It also publishes a member directory, a newsletter, and an annual book from its conference.

The Association for Death Education and Counseling is located at 342 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117-2507. They can be reached by phone at 860-586-7503 or by fax at 860-586-7550. Additional information can be obtained by e-mail at info@adec.org or through the ADEC web site: www.adec.org.

Befrienders International

Befrienders International is a charitable volunteer organization that works to prevent suicide with its network of 357 centers worldwide. These centers, run by trained volunteers, offer a free service of nonjudgmental and completely confidential telephone, mail, e-mail, or face-to-face contact. Befrienders try to prevent suicide by providing a listening ear for people who are lonely, despairing, or suicidal. They try not to judge suffering people or tell them what to do, but just listen. They believe that listening saves lives, and by listening to a suicidal person a befriender tries to help the person address a particular problem or pain.

Befrienders International was founded in 1974. By 2001 it had centers in forty-one countries. The organization supports and advises new and existing centers and offers its expertise and experience to other agencies. Befrienders International also initiates programs aimed at suicide prevention, including Reaching Young Europe, a program that teaches coping skills to young children.

Befrienders International is headquartered at 26-27 Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 1JH, England. They can be reached by e-mail at admin@befrienders.org. Additional information can be obtained through the Befrienders web site: www.befrienders.org. Through their web site, Befrienders International provides a comprehensive directory of emotional first aid help lines.

Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (BCPGV) is dedicated to reducing gun violence in the United States. The BCPGV began in 1974 when Dr. Mark Borinsky, a victim of gun violence, founded the National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH). In 1980 the NCCH was renamed Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI). After Jim Brady, the press secretary to President Ronald Reagan, was shot during an assassination attempt on the president in 1981, Brady's wife Sarah joined the cause. In 1983 the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV) was founded as a sister organization to HCI.

The organization won several legislative battles, one of which led to the U.S. Congress banning bullets that can puncture police officers' bulletproof vests. Congress also banned handguns that cannot be detected by airport X-ray machines.

In 1993 the Brady Bill, requiring a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, was signed into law. President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violent Crime and Control Act of 1994, which includes the ban on manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons.

Also in 1994, the CPHV helped launch Steps to Prevent (STOP) Firearm Injury, training doctors to counsel patients and their families about the risks of guns in the home. In 1996 CPHV launched Project Lifeline, a national network of health professional committed to public education on gun violence prevention.

In 2001 the CPHV launched a nationwide initiative to encourage state officials to use their consumer protection authority to regulate gun design. Also that year the CPHV was renamed the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence can be contacted at 1225 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005. They can be reached by phone at 202-289-7319 or by fax at 202-408-1851. Additional information can be obtained through the CPHV web site: www.gunlawsuits.org.

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) aims to help reduce the suicide rate and minimize the harmful consequences of suicidal behavior. CASP's main purpose and function is to facilitate, advocate, support, and advise. CASP does not provide formal therapeutic services, and it is not a crisis center.

In 1985 a group of professionals incorporated CASP. They responded to a need they saw for greater information and resources among communities in order to reduce the suicide rate.

CASP promotes broad-based information sharing on suicide intervention and research. It holds annual national conferences, publishes a newsletter, and creates service and research networks and directories. CASP advocates for governmental policy development pertinent to suicide prevention. The association also develops guidelines for use in other institutions, such as schools.

CASP seeks to develop excellence in research and service in Canada by giving annual national awards for outstanding contributions in research and service. The association also develops and administers standards for crisis and research centers and develops funds for specific projects.

CASP News, the organization's newsletter, is published in English and French three times per year.

The CASP office can be contacted at Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, The Support Network, #301, 11456 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 0M1. They can be reached by phone at 780-482-0198; by fax at 780-488-1495; or by e-mail at casp@suicideprevention.ca. Additional information can be obtained through the CASP web site: www.thesupportnetwork.com/CASP.

Canadian Palliative Care Association

The Canadian Palliative Care Association (CPCA) is a nonprofit organization whose membership is made up of individuals and hospice/palliative care programs from all ten Canadian provinces and three territories. The CPCA is the leading national association in hospice/palliative care in Canada. The association states its goal as leading the pursuit of "excellence in care for people approaching death so that the burdens of suffering, loneliness, and grief are lessened."

The association describes palliative care as involving four main components: pain management; symptom management; social, psychological, emotional, and spiritual support; and caregiver support. The organization defines palliative care as aimed at relieving suffering and improving the quality of life for those who are living with or dying from advanced illness or who are bereaved.

CPCA declares "to achieve its mission through: collaboration and representation; increased awareness, knowledge and skills related to hospice palliative care of the public, health care providers and volunteers; development of national standards of practice for hospice palliative care in Canada; support of research on hospice palliative care; advocacy for improved hospice palliative care policy, resource allocation and supports for caregivers."

CPCA funding comes from membership fees, corporate and individual donations, project grants, and contributions from charitable organizations and foundations. The CPCA publishes many fact sheets with titles such as "Palliative Care: A Fact Sheet for Seniors."

The volunteer board of directors of CPCA includes representatives from each of the provincial associations and five elected members at large. Various committees carry out related activities. Questions regarding CPCA can be e-mailed to info@cpca.net. Additional information can be obtained through the CPCA web site: www.cpca.net.

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation

The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation (CCCF) seeks to educate, support, and advocate for families of children with cancer, survivors of childhood cancer, and the professionals who work with them. CCCF services include an information clearinghouse, resource database, peer support groups for parents of children with cancer, and a long-term survivor network. A group of concerned parents of children with cancer founded CCCF in 1970.

Using volunteers who are lawyers, doctors, teachers, and insurance experts, Candlelighters' Ombudsman Program helps families and survivors of childhood cancer who experience difficulties in areas of insurance appeals, medical opinions, employment discrimination, and disability rights.

A program called Candlelighters Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program aims to provide a forum for young adult survivors of childhood cancer in the United States. These people can educate themselves on issues related to being a survivor and can interact with other survivors.

Candlelighters works to influence public policy by maintaining a presence in Washington, D.C., working in particular to support federal funding of cancer research as well as legislation and benefits that impact children with cancer. Candlelighters collaborates with many other organizations to create a stronger force for children with cancer.

CCCF's publications include Candlelighters Quarterly, a publication for parents and professionals, as well as a number of pamphlets aimed at helping children with cancer understand their condition and treatment. Parents may call the CCCF national office at 1-800-366-CCCF (2223) for referral to the local group nearest them. Local Candlelighters groups provide much of the organization's direct services to families, such as support groups and parent hospital visitation programs.

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation is headquartered at 3910 Warner Street, Kensington, MD 20895. They can be reached by e-mail at info@candlelighters.org. Additional information can be obtained through the CCCF web site: www.candlelighters.org.

CDC National Prevention Information Network

The CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) provides information about HIV/ AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB) to people and organizations working in prevention, health care, research, and support services. All of NPIN's services are designed to facilitate this sharing of information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an agency of the Public Health Service, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC works to protect public health by administering national programs for the prevention and control of disease and disability. The agency provides health information and statistics and conducts research to find the sources of epidemics. Established in 1946, CDC's headquarters and many of its laboratories are in Atlanta, Georgia.

NPIN staff serve a network of people who work in international, national, state, and local settings. All NPIN services are designed for reference, referral, and informational purposes only. NPIN does not provide medical advice or medical care.

Among the many topics on which the NPIN provides information is how HIV/AIDS, STDs, and TB affect groups such as African Americans, American Indians, Asians, Hispanics, incarcerated populations, people with disabilities, pregnant women, women, and young people. The agency provides information on statistics, trends, substance abuse, testing, counseling, travel, immigration, treatment, and support as they relate to these diseases.

The CDC National Prevention Information Network can be reached at P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003. They can be contacted by phone at 800-458-5231 or by e-mail at info@cdcnpin.org. Additional information can be obtained through the CDC NPIN web site: www.cdcnpin.org.

Center for Death Education and Bioethics

The Center for Death Education and Bioethics (CDEB) is a resource center that collects and archives academic materials concerned with the issue of death, dying, and bereavement in contemporary society.

The center was founded in 1969 as the Center for Death Education and Research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It was formed with the purpose of serving as a repository for materials concerning mortality. It was also intended as a center for the dissemination of literature and information to the academic and professional communities as well as to the public. The Center for Death Education later became affiliated with the Sociology/ Archaeology Department of the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse.

The CDEB retains a large collection of journals, books, and articles concerned with death, dying, bereavement, terminal illness, hospice care, and related topics. Administrators of the center encourage users to visit the center and take advantage of its resources for their academic projects or personal interests. The center is open for certain hours of the week and by appointment at other times.

The CDEB sponsors Illness, Crisis, and Loss, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by Sage Publications. CDEB also sells brochures on grief and loss.

The Center for Death Education and Bioethics is located at 435NH, 1725 State Street, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI 54601-3742. They can be reached by phone at 608-785-6784 or by e-mail at cdeb@uwlax.edu. Additional information can be obtained through the CDEB web site: www.uwlax.edu/sociology/cde&b/.

Children's Hospice International

Children's Hospice International (CHI) provides resources and referrals to children with lifethreatening conditions and their families. The goal of CHI is to improve quality of life for the dying child and the ongoing, strengthened life of the family. It advocates on behalf of these children and families, helps to establish children's hospice programs, and provides education and training for health care providers.

Children's Hospice International was founded in 1983 as a nonprofit organization to provide a network of support and care for children with lifethreatening conditions and their families. Very few hospice programs would accept children before the CHI worked to change that. Today almost all hospice programs in the United States are willing to consider accepting a child as a patient.

The hospice approach for children is a team effort that provides medical, psychological, social, and spiritual expertise. CHI recognizes the right and need for children and their families to choose health care and support whether in their own home, hospital, or hospice care facility. The organization works closely with medical professionals as a bank, providing technical assistance, research, and education.

The Children's Hospice International is headquartered at 901 N. Pitt Street, Suite 230, Alexandria, VA 22314. They can be reached by phone at 800-24CHILD or 703-684-0330, or by e-mail at chiorg@aol.com.

Concerns of Police Survivors

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) is a national nonprofit organization devoted to helping families and other survivors deal with the impact of police deaths. COPS acts as a support group for the survivors of law enforcement officers who have died suddenly and violently. Survivors include a police officer's squad partners and other such comrades and friends.

COPS was established in 1984 and grew to over thirty chapters by the end of the twentieth century. Grants from the U.S. Department of Justice help the organization continue and support some of its key efforts. COPS also receives funding from a number of organizations, including police unions, as well as from individuals.

COPS helps friends and families of slain officers through grief counseling programs. COPS aims to become a social network to help families recover from the shock and emptiness of death. Members are available to help one another in the immediate aftermath of an officer's death as well as for years to come.

The organization sponsors recreational camps, retreats, and other events for family members of all ages. Children aged six to fourteen can go to camps with their parents, and older children can participate in wilderness challenges designed to instill self-confidence and independence. COPS sponsors getaways for spouses of slain officers as well as outings for officers' parents. Many of these events are held at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The national program raises money to provide for the camps, and local chapters cover transportation costs.

Official programs include national peer support, national counseling programs, national police survivors' seminars, scholarships, trial and parole support, and information on state death benefits. COPS also provides programs for agencies and raise public awareness.

The National Office of Concerns of Police Survivors offers information and accepts donations at P.O. Box 3199, S. Highway 5, Camdenton, MO 65020. They can be reached by phone at 573-346-4911 or by e-mail at cops@nationalcops.org. Additional information can be obtained through the COPS web site: www.nationalcops.org.

Council of Religious AIDS Networks

The Council of Religious AIDS Networks (CRAN) seeks to empower and mobilize faith communities to respond to the international HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) pandemic. Membership includes local, regional, and national faith-based, AIDSspecific ministries and organizations.

The council grew out of the AIDS National Interfaith Network (ANIN), a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1988. ANIN was created to secure compassionate and nonjudgmental support, care, and assistance for individuals with HIV and AIDS. The organization coordinated a network of nearly 2,000 ministries.

In 1993 representatives of ANIN met with the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition (NEAC), Disciples of Christ AIDS Network, Lutheran AIDS Network, and United Methodist AIDS Network to create a new organization. By their second meeting in 1993, the group had formally named itself the Council of National Religious AIDS Networks, a name that was later modified to the Council of Religious AIDS Networks.

Members of CRAN receive a newsletter that features information on AIDS legislation, upcoming events, and news from AIDS ministries nationwide. They also receive Action Alerts on time-sensitive issues of importance to AIDS ministries. The council hosts a web site that seeks to offer comprehensive and reliable information on HIV/AIDS and faithbased services, faith-based organizations, and communities of faith.

CRAN works closely with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and also seeks to coordinate efforts with AIDS organizations worldwide.

For further information, contact CRAN, c/o Dr. Jon A. Lacey, P.O. Box 4188, East Lansing, MI 48826-4188. Information can also be obtained by e-mail at info@aidsfaith.com or through the CRAN web site: www.aidsfaith.com.

Cremation Association of North America

The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) seeks to raise standards and ethics for cremation. Cremation, the practice of burning a dead body to ashes, has become increasingly common in the United States and Canada. Most funeral directors can arrange a cremation, which often includes a funeral service before or after the burning. CANA seeks to increase public awareness and knowledge of cremation and memorialization. Its membership is made up of owners of cemeteries and crematories, funeral directors, industry suppliers, and consultants.

CANA began in 1913 as the Cremation Association of America, changing its name in 1977. CANA conducts research, compiles statistics, holds certification programs, and hosts a trade show. CANA publishes a quarterly magazine, The Cremationist.

The CANA code of cremation practice states: "In the practice of cremation, we believe: in dignity and respect in the care of human remains, in compassion for the living who survive them, and in the memorialization of the dead; that a cremation authority should be responsible for creating and maintaining an atmosphere of respect at all times; that the greatest care should be taken in the appointment of crematory staff members, any whom must not, by conduct or demeanor, bring the crematory or cremation into disrepute; that cremation should be considered as preparation for memorialization; that the dead of our human society should be memorialized through a commemorative means suitable to the survivors."

The Cremation Association of North America is headquartered at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-4267. They can be reached by phone at 312-644-6610, by fax at 312-321-4098, or by e-mail at cana@sba.com. Additional information can be obtained through the CANA web site: www.cremationassociation.org.

Death Studies

Death Studies is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes papers on research, scholarship, and clinical work in the areas of bereavement and loss, grief therapy, death attitudes, suicide, and death education. Death Studies is published eight times each year. Its readers are comprised of professionals in universities, hospitals, hospices, and counseling centers who are interested in the major topics in the field of death and dying. Death Studies online archives date back to January 1997.

Article titles published by Death Studies include "Grief Communication, Grief Reactions and Marital Satisfaction in Bereaved Parents"; "No-Suicide Contracts among College Students"; " Survivors' Motives for Extravagant Funerals among the Yorubas of Western Nigeria"; "Exploration of the Relationship Between Physical and/or Sexual Abuse, Attitudes about Life and Death, and Suicidal Ideation in Young Women"; "Traumatic Stress and Death Anxiety among Community Residents Exposed to an Aircraft Crash"; "Firearms and Suicide: the American Experience, 1926–1996"; " Developing Beliefs That Are Compatible with Death"; " Israeli Children's Reactions to the Assassination of the Prime Minister"; and "Parental Bereavement: The Crisis of Meaning."

Death Studies is published by Taylor & Francis, a 200-year old international academic publisher. They have offices in London and other British cities as well as New York City, Philadelphia, Singapore, and Sydney. Prospective readers can visit the Taylor & Francis web site to browse the contents pages of Death Studies issues. Readers within institutions that subscribe to the journal can access the full text free of charge.

The editor in chief of Death Studies is Robert A. Neimeyer, Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152. Further information can be found at www.tandf.co.uk/journals.

Dougy Center for Grieving Children

The Dougy Center for Grieving Children is a nonprofit organization that provides families in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding region, support for children, teens, and their families grieving a death. Through their National Center for Grieving Children & Families, they also provide support and training locally, nationally, and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children and teens in grief.

In 1982 the Center became the first in the United States to provide peer support groups for grieving children. The Center received national and international acclaim for pioneering a model for assisting children, teens, and families coping with the deaths of family members. Over 120 programs modeled on the Center have developed throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, England, Jamaica, Germany, and Rwanda.

The Dougy Center provides training nationally and internationally for companies and schools helping grieving children and teens coping with deaths from natural causes or from violence in a community. The Center also trains groups in starting children's grieving centers.

The Center publishes a guidebook series that grew out of their experience. Topics in the series include helping children and teens cope with death, children and funerals, helping the grieving student, and a guide for principals responding to deaths in school.

The Dougy Center is privately supported and does not charge a fee for services. The Dougy Center can be reached at 3909 SE 52nd Ave., Portland, OR 97286, by phone at 503-775-5683, by fax at 503-777-3097, or by e-mail at help@dougy.org. Additional information can be obtained through the Dougy Center web sites at www.dougy.org/about.html or www.grievingchild.org.

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The foundation's focus is on continuing research, especially on the effectiveness of drug treatments for children and decreasing their cost.

Elizabeth Glaser was a television actress who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion in 1981. By the time she was diagnosed, she had already passed the virus to her daughter Ariel through breast-feeding and to her son Jake during pregnancy. Ariel died in 1988, and Glaser herself died in 1994 at the age of forty-seven. She left behind her husband, Paul Michael, a Hollywood director and actor, and their son. Paul Michael was the only one in the family not infected. Jake remained HIV-positive but otherwise functioning.

After Ariel's death the Glaser couple and several friends founded the organization to raise funds for pediatric HIV/AIDS research. Elizabeth became a vocal AIDS activist and a critic of what she saw as governmental inaction toward the epidemic. Paul Michael became chairman of the foundation board.

In its first ten years, the foundation raised $75 million for pediatric AIDS research and treatment. The foundation supported a network of leading research institutions with an $8 million grant. The institutions, which included Harvard Medical School/ Children's Hospital-Boston and Stanford School of Medicine/Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, study treatments for serious pediatric illnesses. In addition, five Elizabeth Glaser Scientists are named each year by the foundation to receive up to $682,500 in a five-year research grant. The foundation also funds other grants and scholarships.

The foundation accepts donations by phone at 888-499-HOPE (4673) or by mail to Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, 2950 31st Street, #125, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Additional information can be obtained through the foundation's web site: www.pedaids.org/index.html.

European Association for Palliative Care

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) promotes palliative care in Europe and acts as a source for professionals who work or have an interest in this field.

From its foundation in 1988 the EAPC grew to reach a reported membership representing over 23,000 people by 2001. The EAPC head office is situated at the Division for Rehabilitation, Pain Therapy and Palliative Care within the National Cancer Institute in Milan, Italy.

The stated objectives of the EAPC include: " Increase the awareness and promote the development and dissemination of palliative care at scientific, clinical and social levels; promote the implementation of existing knowledge; train those who at any level are involved with the care of patients with incurable and advanced disease; promote study and research; bring together those who study and practice the disciplines involved in the care of patients with advanced disease; unify national palliative care organizations and establish an international network for the exchange of information and expertise; and address the ethical problems associated with the care of terminally ill patients."

The official publication of the EAPC is the European Journal of Palliative Care. Launched in 1994, it is published in English and French and aimed at palliative care professionals. In addition, the association's communication strategy includes its web site, which it considers crucial for informing members and sharing information among members.

The European Association for Palliative Care is also referred to by the acronym ONLUS, based on its foreign language title. The mailing address of the EAPC is National Cancer Instititute of Milan, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy. They can be reached by e-mail at eapc@istitutotumori.mi.it. Additional information can be obtained in French or English through the EAPC web site: www.eapcnet.org.

European Journal of Palliative Care

The European Journal of Palliative Care ( EJPC) is the official journal of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). The association promotes palliative care in Europe and acts as a source for people who work or have an interest in the field of palliative care. The Journal publishes authoritative articles covering a range of palliative care issues and acts as a resource for palliative care professionals throughout Europe and beyond.

The Journal is produced in English and French editions, and is available by subscription only. The EJPC is a review journal, therefore it does not publish original research. Commissioned review articles are aimed at covering all aspects of the care of patients with incurable diseases. Contributions are taken from members of every discipline involved in palliative care.

The EAPC launched the EJPC as a quarterly publication in 1994. Since 1997 it has been published six times a year.

The Journal aims to help advance the skills and expertise of professions that include palliative care specialists, general practitioners, nurses, oncologists, anesthetists, pain specialists, geriatricians, AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) specialists, psychiatrists/psychologists, and social workers.

The Journal is published by Hayward Medical Communications, whose editorial offices are located in London, England. Additional information can be obtained through the Hayward web site: www.hayward.co.uk. The mailing address of the EAPC is National Cancer Institute of Milan, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy. Additional information can be obtained in French or English through the EAPC web site: www.eapcnet.org.

Funeral Consumers Alliance

The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to educate consumers and to establish, promote, and protect their rights in the planning and purchasing of funeral and memorial arrangements. The FCA monitors the funeral industry with the goal of protecting consumer interests.

Groups called "memorial societies" existed in the early 1900s, when people joined together to ensure an acceptable level of standards for burial. In 1963 several such societies formed the Continental Association of Funeral and Memorial Societies. After the Canadian societies dropped out, members changed the name to the Funeral and Memorial Societies of America in 1996. In 1999 the organization's board voted to consolidate its operations under the Funeral Consumers Alliance.

The FCA provides educational materials on funeral choice to increase public awareness of funeral options. It acts as a source of information for media coverage of issues on dying and death. The FCA lobbies as a consumer advocate for reforms at the national level and lends support for needed changes at the state or local level.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance publishes a quarterly newsletter that covers industry trends, legal issues, consumer information, and tips for local groups. The Funeral Consumers Alliance is supported by dues and donations from both local organizations and from individuals.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance is headquartered at P.O. Box 10, Hinesburg, VT 05461. They can be reached by phone at 800-765-0107. Additional information can be obtained through the FCA web site: www.funerals.org.

Hemlock Society

The Hemlock Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping people maintain choice and dignity at the end of their life. They believe that people suffering from irreversible illnesses must have access to peaceful means to hasten their death if they feel their suffering is unbearable. According to the Hemlock Society, "The primary means to accomplish this is with legally prescribed medication as part of the continuum of care between a patient and a doctor, although there are non-medical methods that are effective."

The Hemlock Society was founded in 1980 by Derek Humphry. It has since become the oldest and largest right-to-die organization in the United States with almost 25,000 members in seventy chapters across the country.

The Hemlock Foundation funds the educational and charitable parts of the Hemlock operation. The Patients' Rights Organization (PRO-USA) is Hemlock's legislative arm. Its funds go directly into legislative efforts to change the law. Hemlock seeks to change laws in order to protect patients and physicians involved in hastening a death.

The society does not distribute the means to a peaceful death, but they make available written materials on such matters. Their publications provide information on advance directives, pain management, hospice care, and all options for a death in which the patient retains choice and dignity. Their education efforts also occur through their web site and about 12,000 annual phone inquiries.

The Hemlock Society can be reached at P.O. Box 101810, Denver, CO 80250-1810. Interested people can call 800-247-7421 for the location of local chapters or other information. The society can be reached by e-mail at email@hemlock.org. Additional information can be obtained through the Hemlock Society web site: www.hemlock.org.

Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) is an international professional association with the mission of promoting excellence in hospice and palliative nursing. Its stated purpose is to exchange information, experiences, and ideas; to promote understanding of the specialties of hospice and palliative nursing; and to study and promote hospice and palliative research.

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association began as the Hospice Nurses Association in 1986 at a meeting of the Southern California Hospice Association. The organization grew after 1993 in response to HPNA's formation of the National Board for the Certification of Hospice Nurses to develop a process to credential hospice nurses. The board became a separate organization, responsible for developing and overseeing the certification exam for hospice and palliative nurses. The national office of HPNA coordinates activities for the board.

The HPNA mission statement declares the organization's role of promoting excellence in hospice and palliative nursing, promoting the highest professional standards of hospice and palliative nursing, studying, researching, exchanging information, experiences, and ideas leading to improved nursing practice, encouraging nurses to specialize in the practice of hospice and palliative nursing, fostering the professional development of nurses, and promoting recognition of hospice and palliative care as an essential component throughout the health care system.

HPNA publishes the quarterly journal JHPN. The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association is located at Penn Center W. One, Suite 209, Pittsburgh, PA 15276. They can be reached by phone at 412-787-9301 or by e-mail at hpna@hpna.org. Additional information can be obtained through the HPNA web site: www.hpna.org.

Hospice Association of America

The Hospice Association of America (HAA) is a national organization representing more than 2,800 hospices and many caregivers and volunteers who serve terminally ill patients and their families. Hospice is a family-centered concept of health care for people dying of incurable illnesses.

The hospice concept aims at easing the physical and psychological pain of the patient's illness so that the person can appreciate his or her remaining life. The hospice team includes the patient and his or her family, as well as physicians, nurses, social workers, members of the clergy, and volunteers. Hospice services may include nursing care and pain control, meal preparation, laundry, or shopping. This care may be provided at home, in a separate hospice medical center, or in a hospice unit of a hospital.

In 1996 the HAA's first special membership section, the Volunteer Hospice Network (VHN), was established to promote the growth, diversity, and development of volunteer organizations that serve people dealing with life-threatening illnesses and those who are grieving.

The HAA is the largest lobbying group for hospice in the United States, appealing to the U.S. Congress, the regulatory agencies, other national organizations, the courts, media, and the public.

HAA members can obtain expert advice from the HAA's legislative, regulatory, legal, research, and clinical specialists. A team of trained professionals works with the membership to advocate on behalf of hospices, caregivers, and those they serve.

HAA members receive a number of publications produced by the HAA. These publications include Caring, a monthly magazine covering all aspects of the hospice and home care field, and Homecare News, a widely circulated quarterly newspaper that reaches the entire hospice and home care community.

The Hospice Association of America is headquartered at 228 Seventh Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. They can be reached by phone at 202-546-4759. Additional information can be obtained through the HAA web site: www.nahc.org.

Hospice Association of South Africa

The Hospice Association of South Africa (HASA) is an international palliative care association that coordinates the development of hospices in the South Africa region by providing a centralized source of information, education, and training. The HASA represents forty-nine hospices in South Africa.

The association is among the very few care services for the terminally ill in South Africa. Hospices are funded mainly by private donations, some of which have been raised through benefit events. Only a small part of hospice income is from the government. However, hospice service is free and available to all, regardless of age, sex, race, color, or creed. The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, is patron of the Hospice Association of South Africa.

The Hospice Association of South Africa is headquartered at P.O. Box 38785, Pinelands 7439, Western Cape, South Africa.

Hospice Education Institute

The Hospice Education Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves members of the public and health care professionals with information and education about caring for the dying and the bereaved. The institute defines hospice as a philosophy of caring that respects and values the dignity and worth of each person and good hospice care as the practical expression of that personal and professional commitment. Hospices aim to cherish and emphasize life by helping patients live each day to its fullest.

Founded in 1985, the institute seeks to educate the public about the history of hospice, which dates back to the Middle Ages. In modern times a resurgence of hospice care was seen in the latter part of the 1900s. From 1974 to 1978 hospices and palliative care units opened across North America. In the 1980s, hospice care, usually emphasizing home care, expanded throughout the United States, especially after Medicare added a hospice benefit in 1984 and after hospices began to care for people with advanced AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

From 1990 to 1999 almost 3,000 hospices and palliative care programs served the United States and soon there was well-established hospice and palliative care in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Asia and Western Europe.

The Hospice Education Institute is headquartered at 190 Westbrook Road, Essex, CT 06426-1510. Interested parties can telephone the institute at 800-331-1620 or 860-767-1620 to obtain information about good hospice and palliative care, to get referrals to hospices and palliative care organizations in the United States, or to discuss issues relating to caring for the dying and the bereaved. The e-mail address of the institute is hospiceall@ aol.com. Additional information can be obtained through the Hospice Education Institute web site: www.hospiceworld.org.

Hospice Foundation of America

The Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes hospice care and works to educate professionals and the families they serve in issues relating to caregiving, terminal illness, loss, and bereavement. The HFA provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care. Through programs of professional development, research, public education, and information, the HFA assists those who cope either personally or professionally with terminal illness, death, and the process of grief. The Hospice Foundation of America seeks to enhance the role of hospice within the American health care system.

Hospice Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 1982 with the purpose of providing fundraising assistance to hospices operating in South Florida so that they could carry on their mission of providing compassionate care to dying patients. In 1990, with the help of a significant gift from Hospice Care, Inc., the foundation expanded its scope to a national level in order to provide leadership in the entire spectrum of end-of-life issues. The foundation board is made up of health policy experts. The HFA seeks to raise the visibility and credibility of hospice and advocate for principles of hospice that may enhance the medical system.

In 1992 the foundation opened a Washington, D.C., office for its policy and program work, and in 1994 the board changed the name of Hospice Foundation, Inc. to the Hospice Foundation of America. The Foundation is supported by contributions from individuals and corporations, grants from foundations, and gifts from associations.

The Hospice Foundation of America is headquartered at 2001 S. Street NW, #300, Washington, DC 20009. They can be reached by phone at 800-854-3402 or by fax at 202-638-5312. Additional information can be obtained through the HFA web site: www.hospicefoundation.org.

Hospice Information

Hospice Information acts as a worldwide link and resource for any health professional or member of the public concerned with palliative care. The service seeks to promote sharing of experience by spreading current information. They also seek to enable patients and caretakers to find and obtain needed palliative care support. Hospice Information estimates that there are over 6,500 hospice/ palliative care centers in about ninety countries. The organization has links with services in over eighty of these countries.

The Hospice Information Service began in 1977, founded by Dame Cicely Saunders at the first teaching hospice, St. Christopher's Hospice in London. The Service grew in response to an increasing number of inquiries about hospice received by St. Christopher's. The Service shortened its name to the Hospice Information in 2002, and remained linked to the Department of Palliative Care and Policy, a joint venture between St. Christopher's and King's College London.

Hospice Information publishes a quarterly newsletter, Hospice Bulletin, which highlights the work of international palliative care centers and informs readers of new services, especially those in developing countries. It publishes a "Directory of Hospice and Palliative Care Services in the UK and Ireland," the "Hospice Worldwide" directory, and fact sheets with titles such as "Facts and Figures: Latest Palliative Care Statistics" or "Building a Hospice." The Hospice Information web site features a listing of hospices and palliative care services worldwide for both professionals and the public.

Hospice Information is located at St. Christopher's Hospice, 51 Lawrie Park Road, London SE26 6DZ and Hospice House, 34 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JG. Hospice Information can be contacted by e-mail at info@hospiceinformation. info. Additional information can be obtained through the Hospice Information web site: www.hospiceinformation.info.

Illness, Crisis, and Loss

Illness, Crisis, and Loss is a quarterly journal based on the stated premise that significant progress in the fields of life-threatening illness and thanatology will be achieved by bringing together the expertise of many varied professionals. The journal attempts to explore all aspects of grief, death, and loss by publishing peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, and essays related to these issues.

The journal is sponsored by the Center for Death Education and Bioethics (CDEB), a resource center that collects and archives academic materials concerned with the issues of death, dying, and bereavement in contemporary society. The center was founded in 1969 as the Center for Death Education and Research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The center later became affiliated with the Sociology/Archaeology Department of the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse.

Robert Bendiksen is the editor of Illness, Crisis, and Loss and director of the CDEB. The journal is published by Sage Publications, headquartered in London, England.

The range of subjects covered by the journal includes HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), crisis intervention, death studies, ethical decision making, grief work, and palliative care of the dying. Specific sample topics include models of grieving, religion and spirituality, grief work with survivors of disasters, euthanasia, bioethics, and assisted dying.

Address correspondence to Dr. Robert Bendiksen, Editor, Illness, Crisis, and Loss, Center for Death Education and Bioethics, Soc/Arc Dept., 435 North Hall, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI 54601-3742. The center can be reached by phone at 608-785-6781 or by e-mail at cdeb@uwlax.edu. Additional information can be obtained through the Sage Publications Ltd. web site: www.sagepub.co.uk.

International Association for Suicide Prevention

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), also called the Association Internationale pour la Prevention du Suicide (AIPS), is an organization for individuals and agencies of various disciplines and professions from different countries engaged in suicide prevention and research.

The goal of the association is to provide a common platform for the interchange of experience, literature, and information about suicide. It is also aimed at the wide dissemination of the fundamentals of suicide prevention in both professional and public circles. The IASP arranges for specialized training of selected people in suicide prevention. It encourages and facilitates research programs, especially ones that can be pursued through international cooperation.

The IASP was founded in 1960, and is financed by membership dues, voluntary contributions, and subsidies.

The IASP encourages the work of voluntary organizations, such as the network of suicide prevention telephone services. It also disseminates information on various other forms of crisis intervention, such as psychotherapy and drug treatment, aimed at suicide prevention. The IASP publishes a quarterly publication called Crisis.

World headquarters for the IASP are in Vienna, Austria. American headquarters are located at Rush Center for Suicide Prevention, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Suite 955, Chicago, IL 60612. They can be reached by phone at 312-942-7208, by fax at 312-942-2177, or by e-mail at iasp@aol.com. Additional information can be obtained through the IASP web site: www.who.int/ina-ngo/ngo/ngo027.htm.

International Association of Pet Cemeteries

The International Association of Pet Cemeteries (IAPC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of pet cemeteries everywhere. It pursues its goal mainly through public awareness programs.

There are more than 600 active pet cemeteries in the United States, most of which operate in conjunction with other pet-related business such as boarding kennels, grooming salons, training centers, and veterinarian hospitals. Some directors of human cemeteries have set aside a portion of their grounds for pet burials. Some pet cemeteries operate on a full-time basis, specifically dedicated to the burial or cremation of pets.

Pat Blosser founded the International Association of Pet Cemeteries in 1971 in West Chicago. Member pet cemeteries are expected to maintain the highest business and ethical standards. The IAPC operates on a budget that is supported only by dues and other contributions from members. The International Association of Pet Cemeteries has no paid employees—volunteers do all of the association's work.

Members of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries can receive continuous education management consultation, use of the IAPC logo, public relations services, promotional materials, and membership plaques. Members also receive a subscription to News and Views. They may attend the IAPC annual spring convention and the annual fall seminar.

The International Association of Pet Cemeteries can be reached at P.O. Box 163, 5055 Route 11, Ellenburg Depot, NY 12935, by phone at 518-594-3000, or by fax at 518-594-8801. Additional information can be obtained through the IAPC web site: www.iaopc.com.

International Cemetery and Funeral Association

The International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICFA) is an international trade association representing the cemetery, funeral, and memorialization industry. The ICFA's stated mission is to serve and support its members in order to help them succeed in business.

The International Cemetery and Funeral Association was founded in 1887 as the American Cemetery Association, an organization of cemetery owners and operators who wanted to provide a means for accomplishing more together than they could as individuals. The organization gained its present name in 1997 when the American Cemetery Association merged with the National Association of Cemeteries.

In its mission statement, the ICFA includes its commitment to prefinanced funeral and cemetery services and to providing consumers with better value through open competition. It states its services to members as promoting high ethical standards, providing products and educational services, leading legislative, regulatory, and legal changes, encouraging members to promote the celebration of life, remembrance, and memorialization, and promoting cemeteries as guardians of a nation's heritage and as places of lasting tribute to the memory of the dead.

The ICFA reached a membership of more than 6,000 cemeteries, funeral homes, monument dealerships, crematories, and related businesses. The ICFA publishes a monthly journal, International Cemetery and Funeral Management. The ICFA offers members representation in the governmental arena, educational meetings, and other services and products to meet their needs.

The International Cemetery and Funeral Association is headquartered at 1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 220, Reston, VA 20191. They can be reached by phone at 800-645-7700 or by e-mail at gen4@icfa.org. Additional information can be obtained through the ICFA web site: www.icfa.org.

Journal of Loss and Trauma

The Journal of Loss and Trauma is published four times per year, bringing together scholarship on personal losses relating to family, health, and aging issues. The journal focuses on both psychological and physical health, as well as interpersonal losses within the contexts of extended family, community life, and society as a whole. In order to broaden the reader's perspective on loss and bereavement, and their pervasiveness in human life, the Journal of Loss and Trauma defines loss as a major reduction in a person's resources, whether personal, material, or symbolic, to which the person was emotionally attached. Types of loss covered include death and dying, dissolution and divorce, loss of employment, life-threatening diseases and longterm disability, loss of possessions, homelessness, recurring painful memories, disenfranchisement and stigmatization, losses resulting from war and violence, and aging.

The Journal highlights common as well as differing impacts of major losses while revealing commonalities of the various healing processes. Interdisciplinary in its approach, the quarterly publishes papers on experiments, case studies, discussions, theoretical analyses, and essays on therapeutic approaches. Book reviews are also regular features.

The Journal was formerly called the Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss. Readers of the journal include academics and practitioners in the fields of psychology, counseling, thanatology, gerontology, nursing, anthropology, family studies, psychiatry, sociology, oral history, and organizational management as it pertains to job loss.

The Journal is published by Taylor & Francis, which is headquartered in London at 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE. Additional information can be obtained through the Taylor & Francis web site: www.tandf.co.uk.

Journal of Near-Death Studies

The Journal of Near-Death Studies is a quarterly publication produced by a nonprofit organization called the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS). The Journal features scholarly reports on near-death experiences and similar phenomena, and is included in membership dues for IANDS. The term near-death experience refers to what reported by some people who come very close to physical death or who survive a state of clinical death. IANDS calls a near-death experience one of the most powerful emotional and psychological events known. The organization seeks to provide reliable information about near-death experiences, as well as information and support for those who have been through it.

IANDS describes its mission as responding to the need for information and support concerning near-death and similar experiences, and to encourage recognition of the experiences as genuine and significant events. Its stated goals are to enrich understanding of human consciousness and its relationship to life and death. IANDS responds to people's needs to integrate the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the near-death experience. Founded in 1981, it provides information about near-death experiences to researchers, academia, the health care community, and the public, encouraging research and serving as a networking organization for near-death experiencers, their families, and caregivers.

IANDS hosts an annual three-day conference for experiencers, researchers, and health care professionals. The association coordinates peersupport groups across the United States and Canada to assist people who have experienced near death and need to reintegrate into daily life.

IANDS is headquartered at P.O. Box 502, East Windsor Hill, CT 06028. They can be reached by phone at 860-644-5216 or by email at office@ iands.org or services@iands.org. Additional information can be obtained through the IANDS web site: www.iands.org.

Journal of Pain and Palliative Care in Pharmacotherapy

The Journal of Pain and Palliative Care in Pharmacotherapy is a professional quarterly journal that features information on end-of-life care. The publication includes original articles, reviews, editorials, commentaries, case reports, book and media reviews, news, and a meeting calendar.

The Journal of Pain and Palliative Care in Pharmacotherapy formed in 2002 from the merger of two other journals: the Journal of Pharmaceutical Care in Pain and Symptom Control and the Hospice Journal. The editors created the new title to reflect an increased focus on symptom control in end-of-life care. The international editorial board of the new journal includes over twenty experts in pain and palliative care from the fields of research, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, bioethics, and health policy.

The Journal of Pharmaceutical Care in Pain and Symptom Control was published quarterly beginning in 1993. It was a refereed journal concerned with issues of drug therapy in regard to its effectiveness, safety, cost, availability, delivery systems, ethics, health care policy, and other areas. These issues were addressed in relation to symptom control for both chronic and acute disorders. The Hospice Journal, which began in 1985, was the official journal of the National Hospice Organization. It addressed physical, psychosocial, and pastoral care of the dying.

The Journal of Pain and Palliative Care in Pharmacotherapy is published by The Haworth Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. Interested parties can obtain sample copies of the journal from that address. Single or multiple copies of all journal articles are available from the Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. The press can be reached by e-mail at getinfo@ haworthpressinc.com. Additional information about the Journal can be obtained through the Haworth Press web site: www.haworthpressinc.com.

Junior Chamber Family AIDS Network

The Junior Chamber Family AIDS Network was founded by members of the Jaycees to provide help for children and families affected by HIV/ AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The organization allows young leaders to learn to mobilize community resources, build collaborative partnerships, provide volunteer support, and advocate for public policy change.

In 1995 members of the U.S. Junior Chamber of the Jaycees followed the Jaycee formula of national leadership and local solutions to address needs of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. They formed a separate nonprofit organization called the Junior Chamber Family AIDS Network. Funding for the network comes from Jaycee chapters across the United States as well as private and corporate donations. The Jaycees stress individual development through leadership training and civic involvement. They learn to be leaders by working in community improvement programs.

The network maintains collaborative partnerships with three national organizations: Jaycees, Mothers' Voices, and Advocates for Youth. They also work with service providers in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma, and California.

Network services include providing child care, housing, case management, caregiver support, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment. Network volunteers help AIDS victims and families by hosting events, such as purchasing backpacks and school supplies for children, volunteering in direct service programs, creating residential facilities, and working to keep families together for as long as possible.

The Family AIDS Network is headquartered at 4 W. 21st Street, Tulsa, OK 74114. They can be reached by phone at 918-584-2481, by fax at 918-584-4422, or by e-mail at info@jcfamilyaidsnetwork. org. Additional information can be obtained through the Junior Chamber Family AIDS Network web site: www.jcfamilyaidsnetwork.org.

Last Acts

Last Acts is a campaign to improve care at the end of life. Its goal is to bring death-related issues into the open and help individuals and organizations pursue better ways to care for the dying. The organization believes in palliative care, which focuses on ways to ease pain and make life better for people who are dying and their loved ones. Palliative care means taking care of the whole person— body, mind, and spirit. It views death and dying as something natural and personal. The goal of palliative care is to provide the best quality of life until the very end of life.

Last Acts is a national effort to raise awareness about the need to improve care of the dying and to share issues and ideas at the national, state, and local levels. The honorary chair of Last Acts is the former first lady Rosalynn Carter. Last Acts' members comprise health care professionals, religious bodies, advocates, parents, educators, and health care institutions. They help partners find experts, schedule meeting speakers, and publicize their efforts.

Last Acts task forces address family needs, institutional change, professional education, palliative care, financing, and the workplace. Resource committees ensure that diversity, spirituality, public communication, standards development, and evaluation methods are incorporated in the work of each task force.

Last Acts works with policymakers and the news media to get and disseminate information about current policy issues. Last Acts sponsors national and regional conferences and publishes a quarterly print newsletter and special reports. Using electronic media, it conducts discussion groups on death and dying issues, distributes an e-mail newsletter, and publishes new information on its web site: www.lastacts.org.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma. The society is dedicated to improving the quality of life of patients with these diseases and their families.

Leukemia is a kind of cancer in which abnormal white blood cells multiply in an uncontrolled manner. It is a disease of the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs. Lymphoma is lymphatic cancer. A well-known form of lymphoma is Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer in which the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues become swollen. The disease can be fatal and its cause is unknown. The most common lymphatic cancer is non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have risen steadily since the mid-1900s, as many people with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) develop this type of cancer. Myeloma is a cancerous tumor of the bone marrow.

The society was founded as the de Villers Foundation in 1949 by two parents who lost their only son to leukemia and recognized the need for an organization dedicated to finding cures for the disease. In 2000 the society changed its name from the Leukemia Society of America to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to emphasize its commitment to fighting all blood-related cancers. The society has close to sixty chapters across the United States.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society can be reached at 1311 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605. They can be reached by phone at 800-955-4572. Additional information can be obtained through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society web site: www.leukemia.org.

Living Bank International

Living Bank International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enhancement of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The mission of the Living Bank is to motivate and facilitate the commitment of enough organ and tissue donors so that no one must die or suffer for lack of a donation. The board and staff of the Living Bank are dedicated to increasing the number of registeredinformed donors.

Founded in 1971, the Living Bank is the oldest and largest donor education organization in the United States, and the only national one that keeps computerized records of donor data for future retrieval in an emergency. The Living Bank also cooperates with and supports any group or organization whose activities generate more committed donors or facilitates actual donation.

There is a large donor/transplant community in the United States consisting of organizations that seek to educate would-be donors, issue donor cards, and register donor information for efficient access and referral organ procurement organizations. The donor/transplant community also sends surgical teams into hospitals of the donors to take the donated organs and to transport the organs to hospitals where the chosen recipients wait. Transplant centers are located in authorized hospitals, where actual transplant operations take place.

Living Bank International is based in Houston, Texas. They can be reached by phone at 800-528-2971 or by e-mail at info@livingbank.org. Additional information can be obtained through the Living Bank International web site: www.livingbank.org.

Make-A-Wish Foundation of America

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America exists to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses and to create moments of hope, strength, and joy for them. Although the foundation serves children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, many of these children survive their illnesses and go on to adulthood.

The foundation was created in 1980 by friends and relatives of a Phoenix, Arizona, boy named Chris Greicius who dreamed of becoming a police officer for a day. Officers of the Arizona highway patrol made his wish come true. Two of the officers, together with friends and Chris's mother, decided to offer that joy to other children with lifethreatening illnesses. They formed the Make-AWish Foundation and the movement grew quickly throughout the United States and abroad. The foundation has international affiliates in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Since 1980 Make-A-Wish volunteers have granted more than 83,000 wishes worldwide. The foundation is funded primarily through corporate and private donations. Requests for wishes come from parents or guardians, from members of the medical community, and from children themselves.

For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, call 800-722-WISH or visit their web site at www.wish.org. The web site provides a great deal of information and introduces ways to help, such as giving online, donating frequent flier miles, or volunteering for local chapters.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America is headquartered at 3550 N. Central Avenue, Suite 300, Phoenix, AZ 85012. Their e-mail address is mawfa@wish.org and the public relations e-mail address is comm@wish.org.

Mortality

The journal Mortality, an interdisciplinary peerreviewed publication that focuses on the topic of human mortality, is of interest to academics in the fields of anthropology, art, classics, history, literature, medicine, music, sociolegal studies, social policy, sociology, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies. Death studies is an interdisciplinary medium. Mortality is also of interest to people professionally or voluntarily engaged in the health and caring professions, bereavement counseling, the funeral industries, and central and local government.

Mortality was started in 1996 and became of interest to international scholars and professional groups. Both new and established scholars in this field valued its interdisciplinary approach. Mortality aims to publish new material that is peer reviewed. The journal encourages debate and offers critiques of existing and classical work. The journal also promotes the development of theory and methodology. The journal seeks to develop substantive issues and research within an interdisciplinary context. It stimulates the growing awareness of the relevance of human mortality in personal and social life, in economic and institutional activity, and in systems of belief, ethics, and values. The journal editors pursue an international approach that invites articles addressing all historical periods and all subject areas.

Mortality is published by Taylor & Francis, which is headquartered at 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE. Additional information can be obtained through the Taylor & Francis web site: www.tandf.co.uk.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit voluntary organization whose focus is to look for effective solutions to problems of drunk driving and underage drinking, while supporting victims who have already experienced the pain of these crimes.

MADD was founded in 1980 by a small group of mothers and grew to one of the largest crime victim organizations in the world. With over 600 chapters, MADD is one of the most widely supported and publicly approved nonprofit organizations in America. MADD's funding comes from individual donors, grants, bequests, and MADD's corporate sponsors. MADD works with corporations to promote awareness campaigns and programs designed to stop drinking and driving.

MADD compiles statistics and facts from a number of reliable and credible sources, including the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. MADD also tracks laws having to do with drunk driving and underage drinking, including which states currently have these laws, and how the laws vary from state to state.

Drunk driving research supports MADD's positions on key issues surrounding drunk driving. Many of these journals and studies have formed the foundation for laws and policies in place today. Since MADD's start, more than 2,300 anti–drunk driving laws have been passed. A 1994 study found MADD to be the most popular nonprofit cause in the United States, well liked by 51 percent of Americans. It ranked second among the most strongly supported charities and third on the most credible list.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is headquartered at P.O. Box 541688, Dallas, TX 75354-1688. They can be reached by phone at 800-GET-MADD (438-6233). Additional information can be obtained through the MADD web site: www.madd.org.

National Association of People with AIDS

The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in order to end the pandemic and the suffering it creates. The association's stated goal is to educate, inform, and empower all people living with HIV and AIDS.

NAPWA began in 1983 with the Patient Advisory Committee of the Second National AIDS Forum that was held in Denver, Colorado. One act of the committee was to adopt the term people with AIDS instead of victim or patient, which they saw as negative. The committee also created a set of recommendations for a more humane response to AIDS. The effort remained a loosely affiliated network.

NAPWA became incorporated in Washington, D.C., in 1987. From its place in Washington, the group sought to become an effective voice of people with AIDS at the center of national power.

NAPWA sponsors the National Call to Commitment Day, a grassroots action organized in collaboration with national, regional, and local organizations that serve the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS. Its goal is to increase federal funding to meet the needs of people living with and at risk for HIV.

The National Association of People with AIDS is headquartered at 1413 K Street NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. They can be reached by phone at 202-898-0414, by fax at 202-898-0435, or by e-mail at napwa@napwa.org. Additional information can be obtained through the NAPWA web site: www.napwa.org.

National Center for Victims of Crime

The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) is a leading advocate for crime victims in the United States. NCVC functions as a national resource center that seeks justice for crime victims. It does this by collaborating with local, state, and federal partners, and by pushing for passage of laws and public policies that create resources and win rights and protections for crime victims. The NCVC provides direct services and resources to victims, as well as training and technical assistance to victim service organizations, counselors, attorneys, criminal justice agencies, and other professionals. The National Center for Victims of Crime is a nonprofit organization supported by members, individual donors, corporations, foundations, and government grants.

The center was founded in 1985 and claims to have worked with more than 10,000 organizations and criminal justice agencies serving millions of crime victims by the early 2000s. The NCVC compiles statistics on crime and victimization and provides education through conferences, workshops, seminars, and videocassettes. The center also helps communities develop programs for victims of violent crimes. Among the center's most important services is providing crime victims and witnesses with direct assistance, such as social service referrals for crime victims.

The center maintains a database of over 10,000 organizations that link victims with key services, including crisis intervention, information, help through the criminal justice process, counseling, support groups, and legal counsel.

The National Center for Victims of Crime is headquartered at 2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201. People seeking an organization near them or any related referral can e-mail the service referral department at ddeskins@ ncvc.org or call 800-FYI-CALL or 800-211-7996 (tty/tdd). The center also offers referrals for crime victims to attorneys for civil cases.

National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association

The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFDMA) is a nonprofit membership association of professional funeral directors and morticians.

The NFDMA began as the Independent National Funeral Directors Association in 1924. It was organized by a group of licensed funeral directors seeking to maintain high professional standards for the benefit of the public and their own business community. In 1926 the name was changed to the Progressive National Funeral Directors Association. In 1940 a merger with the National Colored Undertakers Association became the National Negro Funeral Directors Association. In 1957 NFDMA adopted its present name.

The stated objectives of the association are to foster research, conduct workshops and seminars, investigate funeral practices, develop and maintain standards of conduct designed to improve the business condition of its members, and maintain high standards of service for the benefit of the public. The association seeks to provide a continuing program of service and to develop and disseminate information beneficial to members and the public. The NFDMA promises to represent the common professional and business interests of its members before various federal, state, and local legislative, administrative, and judicial bodies throughout the United States.

The NFDMA awards an annual scholarship and they publish a quarterly magazine, National Scope, which is free to members.

The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association is headquartered at 3951 Snapfinger Parkway, Suite 570, Omega World Center, Decatur, GA 30035. They can be reached by phone at 800-434-0958 or by e-mail at nfdma@nfdma.com. More information can be obtained through the NFDMA web site: www.nfdma.com.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) concerns itself with diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and blood, as well as with the blood supply in the United States. The NHLBI is one of the thirteen institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. federal government. The NIH is part of the Public Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH conducts a broad range of biomedical research at its laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland, and provides funds for the training of research scientists. Elements of the NIH began in 1887, and it gained its present name in 1948.

The NHLBI is involved in many research efforts, including basic research, clinical investigations and trials, observational studies, and demonstration and education projects. The NHLBI is involved at the level of planning, conducting, and supporting such research programs. NHLBI research focuses on the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

The NHLBI also conducts educational activities for health professionals, with an emphasis on prevention. The NHLBI seeks to spread information to the public, also emphasizing prevention.

The NHLBI coordinates its activities with other research institutes and federal health programs. It maintains relationships with institutions and professional associations, working with international, national, state, and local officials as well as voluntary agencies and organizations concerned with the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders.

People can direct health-related questions and requests for copies of publications to the NHLBI Information Center. They can be reached by e-mail at NHLBIinfo@rover.nhlbi.nih.gov. Additional information can be obtained through the NHLBI web site: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

National Hemophilia Foundation

The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) acts as a leading resource on bleeding disorders information, also focusing attention on keeping the national blood supply safe. The NHF maintains that the number of people with hemophilia in the United States is 20,000. Hemophilia is a disease in which the blood does not clot normally, causing its victims, hemophiliacs, to bleed excessively if injured. The disease is hereditary and nearly all hemophiliacs are male. Because hemophiliacs often need blood transfusions, they are vulnerable to any disease that can be passed through the blood supply, such as HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

The National Hemophilia Foundation was established in 1948 with the goal of generating awareness about the disease of hemophilia and calling for greater research. NHF works closely with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to advocate for such issues as blood safety, medical insurance reform, and continued funding for hemophilia treatment centers and research.

The NHF also works with the CDC to spread information and awareness about von Willebrand disease and other female bleeding disorders. Von Willebrand disease is a hereditary disease, similar to hemophilia but occurring among women, in which the skin bleeds for an abnormally long period of time when injured.

The National Hemophilia Foundation is headquartered at 116 W. 32nd Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10001. They can be reached by phone at 800-42-HANDI or by e-mail at info@hemophilia.org. Additional information can be obtained through the NHF web site: www.hemophilia.org.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is committed to improving endoflife care. The organization seeks to expand access to hospice care with the goal of enhancing quality of life for dying people in America, as well as for their loved ones.

Hospice is a family centered concept of health care for people dying of an incurable illness. The hospice concept aims at easing the physical and psychological pain of the patient's illness, so that the person can appreciate his or her remaining life. The hospice team includes the patient and his or her family, as well as physicians, nurses, social workers, members of the clergy, and volunteers. Hospice services may include nursing care and pain control, meal preparation, laundry, or shopping. This care may be provided at home, in a separate hospice medical center, or in a hospice unit of a hospital.

In 1990 the World Health Organization defined palliative care, stating that it addresses not only physical pain, but emotional, social, and spiritual pain to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. Many hospice care programs have added palliative care to their names to reflect the greater range of care and services they provide.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization was founded in 1978 as the National Hospice Organization and changed its name in 2000. The organization offers support for the terminally ill and their families and develops public and professional educational programs and materials to increase understanding of hospice and palliative care.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is headquartered at 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314. They can be reached by phone at 703-837-1500 or by e-mail at info@nhpco.org. Additional information can be obtained through the NHPCO web site: www.nhpco.org.

National Institute for Jewish Hospice

The National Institute for Jewish Hospice (NIJH) serves the needs of Jewish people who are terminally ill. The institute does this by providing free telephone counseling, making referrals, and training professionals in the needs of the terminally ill. The institute reaches out to families, businesses, and organizations concerned about seriously and terminally ill Jewish people.

NIJH was founded in 1985 to help alleviate suffering in terminal illness, death, and bereavement among Jewish people. Rabbi Maurice Lamm, a professor at Yeshiva University in New York City, is the founder and president of the National Institute for Jewish Hospice.

The institute serves as a resource center for terminal patients and their families, mainly providing information on traditional Jewish views on death, dying, and managing the loss of a loved one. The NIJH offers guidance and training to patients and interested hospice personnel, health care professionals, clergy, and family members who work with terminally ill Jewish people.

The NIJH provides materials to communities interested in setting up Jewish hospice care programs. The NIJH promotes its "Jewish Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney" document as covering the entire spectrum of Jewish thought regarding legal and medical ethics and offers it to anyone who wants a copy.

In addition to the Jewish living will, the NIJH publishes booklets and tapes that include: Caring for the Jewish Terminally Ill, For Families of the Jewish Terminally Ill, Hemlock Is Poison for Society, How to Console, Introduction to Jewish Hospice, The Jewish Orphaned Adult, Realities of the Dying, Self-Healing and Hospice Care, The Spiritual Component Cannot Be Ignored, Strategies for Jewish Care, and The Undying Hope.

The National Institute for Jewish Hospice is headquartered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 444 S. San Vicente Boulevard, Suite 601, Los Angeles, CA 90048. They can be reached by phone at 213-HOSPICE or 800-446-4448.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) states that its mission is to conduct and support basic and clinical research on some of the most serious public health diseases. The institute supports much of the clinical research on the diseases of internal medicine as well as many basic science disciplines.

The NIDDK is one of the thirteen institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. federal government. The NIH is part of the Public Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH conducts a broad range of biomedical research at its laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland, and provides funds for the training of research scientists.

The diseases that the NIDDK concerns itself with are metabolic diseases such as diabetes, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. Basic research studies of the NIDDK include biochemistry, nutrition, pathology, histochemistry, chemistry, physical, chemical, and molecular biology, pharmacology, and toxicology.

The institute supports research through grants, career development, and awards. The Institute contracts with various institutions and companies for research and development projects.

In 1950 President Harry S. Truman established the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases as part of the Public Health Service. In 1972 the institute's name was changed to National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases. In 1981 the institute was renamed the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIADDK). In 1986 the NIADDK was renamed the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

The NIDDK is located at the NIH headquarters. The NIH is located at Building 31, Room 9A04 Center Drive, MSC 2560, Bethesda, MD 20892-2560.

National Kidney Foundation

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is a nonprofit foundation with the stated mission of preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the well-being of individuals affected by these diseases, and increasing the availability of organs for transplantation. The foundation states six goals: to educate the public, support research, expand patient services, provide educational opportunities for professionals, influence health policy, and raise funds.

The NKF was founded in 1950. Kidney diseases include kidney infection, the most common kidney disease, which can also involve infection of the urinary tract and can lead to kidney failure. Other diseases of the body, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, can damage the kidneys. Cysts, kidney stones, and tumors can damage the kidneys, and kidney disorders can also result from birth defects, injuries, poisoning, or from certain medications.

Some kidney patients have their diseased kidneys replaced by a transplant. Because people can function with one kidney, some patients receive a replacement organ from a close relative. However, most transplant organs come from victims of accidental death.

The NKF works to increase the number of organs available for transplant through such efforts as their sponsorship of the Olympic-style games for transplant recipients, distributing donor cards, and counseling donor families in their grief.

The NKF gives monetary grants to physicians and scientists involved in research of kidney disease. The foundation offers free health screenings, rehabilitation programs for recovering kidney patients, support for patients and families, summer camps for children with dialysis, and financial aid for patients.

The NKF publishes Advances in Renal Replacement Therapy, a quarterly journal, and the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, a monthly.

The National Kidney Foundation is headquartered at 30 E. 33rd Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10016. They can be reached by phone at 800-622-9010 or by e-mail at info@kidney.org. Additional information, including the addresses of branch offices, can be obtained through the NKF web site: www.kidney.org.

National Native American AIDS Prevention Center

The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center is a network of Native Americans with the stated mission of stopping the spread of HIV and related diseases among American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and improving the quality of life for members of their communities who are affected by HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The network works to eliminate sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis and seeks to improve Native American health status through empowerment and self-determination. The organization acts as a resource to native communities and supports community efforts by providing education and information services. The center also maintains a speakers' bureau and compiles statistics.

The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center was founded in 1987. Directors of the organization include people with HIV, tribal officials, public health professionals, health care providers, and substance abuse program administrators.

A primary goal of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center is to establish working agreements with local service providers that help HIV-infected Native Americans gain access to services. The network helps people find culturally familiar resources such as those using Native American spirituality and traditional healing. The network also offers cultural awareness training to service providers. The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center works in urban areas and on reservations.

The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center is headquartered at 436 14th Street, Suite 1020, Oakland, CA 94612. They can be reached by phone at 510-444-2051 or by e-mail at information@nnaapc.org. Additional information can be obtained through the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center's web site: www.nnaapc.org.

National Organization for Victim Assistance

The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote rights and services for victims of crime and crisis. Members include victim and witness assistance programs, criminal justice professionals, mental health professionals, researchers, former crime victims and survivors, and others committed to the concerns of victim rights and services.

NOVA was founded in 1975. In its role as advocate for victims, NOVA succeeded in such efforts as greatly expanding the number of victim compensation programs in the United States, so that by 1998 each state had such a program. In addition, NOVA helped write the Anti-Terrorism Act, enacted after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which allowed the Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice to use federal funds to help victims of terrorism and mass violence. NOVA also helped draft and pass the federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984. In its first twelve years, the Crime Victims Fund, based on the act, transferred about $2.2 billion in federal criminal fines to state compensation and local assistance programs. NOVA also helped pass the Violence Against Women Act.

NOVA provides direct services to victims through a twenty-four-hour toll-free crisis line and community crisis response teams. They assist professional colleagues through training and educational programs.

The organization's mailing address is 1730 Park Road NW, Washington, DC 20010. NOVA can be reached by phone at 202-232-6682 or 800-TRYNOVA, or by e-mail at nova@try-nova.org. Additional information can be obtained through the NOVA web site: www.try-nova.org.

National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center

The National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center (NSIDRC) provides information and technical assistance on sudden infant death syndrome, also called SIDS or crib death, and related topics. Sudden infant death syndrome is the death of an apparently healthy baby under one year of age, the cause of which is unknown. In most cases, the baby is found dead a few hours after being put to bed. Even following an autopsy, a death scene investigation, and a thorough look at the baby's medical history, the cause of death cannot be found. In many countries SIDS is one of the leading causes of infant death.

The NSIDRC was founded in 1980 and was sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NSIDRC seeks to promote understanding of SIDS and to provide comfort to those affected by SIDS. NSIDRC works with policymakers, parents, researchers, educators, medical and legal professionals, care providers, and counselors. NSIDRC's products and services include information sheets and other publications. NSIDRC also maintains a database of research and public awareness materials. NSIDRC distributes informational materials for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center is headquartered at 2070 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 450, Vienna, VA 22182. They can be reached by phone at 703-821-8955 or 703-821-2098, or by e-mail address at sids@circlesolutions.com. Additional information can be obtained through the NSIDRC web site: www.sidscenter.org.

National Stroke Association

The National Stroke Association (NSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to issues concerning strokes, including prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and research.

Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States. Strokes are usually caused by blood clots that block circulation to the brain. People at risk of stroke include those with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and a smoking habit. Depending on what area of the brain is affected, stroke victims may lose function of various parts of their bodies. Recovery usually includes professional rehabilitation services.

The National Stroke Association was founded in 1984. Soon after, the NSA produced a statement of guidelines for stroke prevention, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The NSA acts as a resource for stroke victims and their families as well as health care professionals and health care institutions. The association works to prevent stroke through a number of programs, offering educational materials and assistance in the development of stroke support groups.

The National Stroke Association seeks to help create universal standards of care for stroke victims. The NSA promotes guidelines for American hospitals and works to keep health insurance reimbursement levels commensurate with increasing health care costs. The association works to place the problem of stroke on the national agenda as a top funding priority, collaborating with key organizations, institutions, and agencies throughout the United States on this and other goals.

The National Stroke Association is headquartered at 9707 E. Easter Lane, Englewood, CO 80112. They can be reached by phone at 800-STROKES. Additional information can be obtained through the NSA web site: www.stroke.org.

National Women's Health Resource Center

The National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help women educate themselves about female health topics. The organization declares its dedication to helping women make informed decisions about their health and encouraging women to embrace healthy lifestyles to promote wellness and prevent disease. NWHRC works with leading health care experts and organizations to develop health materials specifically for women. The NWHRC began in 1988.

The center works to provide health care professionals with additional resources for their patients. NWHRC staff and its Women's Health Advisory Council, a group of health experts, seek to provide professional perspective and commentary on women's health issues.

Through partnerships with health care, education, and advocacy organizations and government agencies, the NWHRC tries to promote timely issues concerning women's health. The NWHRC also seeks partnerships with such commercial entities as pharmaceutical and managed care companies, hospitals and other health systems, corporations, and media establishments. The NWHRC sponsors national public education initiatives, such as campaigns to educate women about contraception, menopause, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

The NWHRC produces a number of publications on a variety of women's health topics, including The Book of Women's Health, a home reference source. Its newsletter, the "National Women's Health Report," presents an in-depth review of a featured health topic each issue. The NWHRC also seeks to supply media sources with credible health information. The center maintains a database of nationwide health resources as well as a web site intended to be a full resource for women's health.

The National Women's Health Resource Center is headquartered at 120 Albany Street, Suite 820, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. They can be reached by phone at 877-986-9472 or by e-mail at info@ healthywomen.org. Additional information can be obtained through the NWHRC web site: www.healthywomen.org.

Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying

Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying is a peerrefereed journal that features articles about terminal illness, bereavement, mourning, the process of dying, funeral customs, and suicide. The journal accepts contributions from professionals in universities, hospitals, clinics, retirement homes, suicide prevention centers, funeral homes, and others concerned with thanatology, the study of death.

Omega is affiliated with the Association for Death Education Counseling (ADEC), a multidisciplinary, professional nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in death education, bereavement counseling, and care of the dying. ADEC works to promote and share research, theories, and practice in dying, death, and bereavement and to provide a forum for professionals to advance the body of knowledge and promote practical applications of theory in these areas.

The journal seeks to meet the needs of clinicians, social workers, and health professionals who must deal with problems in crisis management—for example, terminal illness, fatal accidents, catastrophe, suicide, and bereavement. Omega covers topics in the fields of psychology, sociology, medicine, anthropology, law, education, history, and literature.

Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying is published by the Baywood Publishing Company, located at 26 Austin Avenue, Box 337, Amityville, NY 11701. They can be reached by phone at 800-638-7819 or by e-mail at info@baywood.com. Additional information can be obtained through the Baywood Publishing Company web site: www.baywood.com.

Oncology Nursing Society

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is an organization of registered nurses and other health care professionals dedicated to excellence in caring for cancer patients. ONS states its vision as leading the transformation of cancer care through initiating and actively supporting educational, legislative, and public awareness efforts to improve the treatment of people with cancer.

ONS's stated mission is to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. It seeks to do this by providing nurses and other health care professionals with access to the highest quality educational programs, cancer-care resources, research, and support networks. ONS works with many other nursing and health-related organizations throughout the world to educate professionals and promote information sharing among nurses. The society also seeks to make the issue of cancer care a priority on the legislative and policymaking agenda.

ONS began with the First National Cancer Nursing Conference in 1973. In 1974, after a group of nurses attended a nursing session at a major cancer conference, it gathered names of more interested nurses and initiated a newsletter, which later became the Oncology Nursing Forum. The society was officially incorporated in 1975. The society publishes two journals, Oncology Nursing Forum, the official journal of the ONS, and Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

The Oncology Nursing Society is headquartered at 501 Holiday Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15220-2749. They can be reached by phone at 412-921-7373 or by e-mail at customer.service@ons.org. Additional information can be obtained through the ONS web site: www.ons.org.

Palliative Care Australia

Palliative Care Australia is a key organization for palliative care in Australia, whose stated goal is to work toward the relief of pain and suffering of dying people and the provision of the care they need. Palliative Care Australia defines hospice and palliative care as "a concept of care which provides coordinated medical, nursing and allied services for people who are terminally ill, delivered where possible in the environment of the person's choice, and which provides physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual support for patients, and support for patients' families and friends."

Palliative Care Australia began in 1990 as the Australian Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. The organization sprung out of an affiliation of state palliative care associations who first came together at the Australian National Hospice Palliative Care Conference held in Adelaide in 1990.

Palliative Care Australia's aim is to provide a national forum for the exchange of ideas and information on matters relating to hospice and palliative care and to encourage the spread of information to the general community and to professional, paraprofessional, and volunteer caregivers through education and community awareness programs. It seeks to consult with government and health authorities on the needs of people with progressive and terminal illnesses and their families and caretakers. Palliative Care Australia advises hospice and palliative care organizations throughout Australia, assisting in the development of appropriate standards for hospice and palliative care in the country.

Additional information can be obtained through the Palliative Care Australia web site: www.pallcare.org.au.

Partnership for Caring: America's Voices for the Dying

Partnership for Caring: America's Voices for the Dying is a national nonprofit organization that brings together individuals and organizations in a collaborative effort to improve how people die in American society. Among other services, Partnership for Caring operates the only national crisis and informational hotline dealing with end-of-life issues. The organization also provides state-specific living wills and medical powers of attorney.

Partnership for Caring is devoted to raising consumer expectations for excellent end-of-life care and increasing demand for such care. It is the only end-of-life organization that puts individuals and organizations and consumers and professionals together to create a combined effort that insists that society improves how it cares for dying people and their loved ones.

In 2000 Choice In Dying, an organization dedicated to making advance directives available, became Partnership for Caring: America's Voices for the Dying, which broadened its scope.

Partnership for Caring promotes a society in which death and dying are respected as significant life-cycle events. High-quality, complete palliative care, including hospice, would be assured. Support for the tasks required to achieve a satisfying level of life completion and closure would be provided for dying people and their loved ones.

The Partnership for Caring hotline number is 800-989-9455. People can contact the Partnership for Caring office if they need assistance regarding a specific end-of-life situation, to speak with legal staff, to obtain information on living wills and medical power of attorney, or to speak with a representative about publications or becoming a partner.

Partnership for Caring is headquartered at 1620 Eye Street NW, Suite 202, Washington, DC 20007. They can be reached by e-mail at pfc@ partnershipforcaring.org. Additional information can be obtained through the Partnership for Caring web site: www.partnershipforcaring.org.

Project on Death in America

The Project on Death in America (PDIA) works to promote a better understanding of dying and to transform the culture and experience of dying and bereavement in the United States through research, scholarship, the humanities, and the arts. Its claims to foster innovations in the provision of care, public education, professional education, and public policy. The PDIA seeks to help transform the culture surrounding death.

The PDIA is part of the Open Society Institute, which describes itself as "a private operating and grantmaking foundation that seeks to promote the development and maintenance of open societies around the world by supporting a range of programs in the areas of educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and often controversial issues." It was established in 1993 and is part of the Soros foundations network, a network of organizations created by the wealthy philanthropist George Soros. In 1994 Soros founded the Project on Death in America. He decided to give funds toward the problem of dying because of his own family experiences with death. The death of his parents "made me realize that there is a need to better understand the experience of dying," he said. The project seeks to encourage broader philanthropic support in the field of palliative care. The PDIA awards grants to academic professionals and others who are studying issues of death and dying.

Project on Death in America is headquartered at Open Society Institute, 400 W. 59th Street, New York, NY 10019. They can be reached by phone at 212-548-1334. Additional information can be obtained through the Soros/Project on Death in America web site: www.soros.org/death.

SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support

SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support is a nonprofit group with the stated mission of serving those whose lives have been touched by the tragic death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or newborn death.

The group's support includes emotional, physical, spiritual, and social healing. The secondary stated purpose of SHARE is to provide information, education, and resources pertaining to the needs and rights of bereaved parents and siblings. Its objective is to aid all of those in supportive roles, including family, friends, employers, church members, caregivers, and others.

SHARE began in 1977 at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. The first support group met after one bereaved parent and several hospital staffers worked together. SHARE eventually grew to over 130 chapters internationally. SHARE helps form local groups whose activities include holding monthly support meetings, providing lists of resources, developing keepsake kits, and developing parent-to-parent support.

SHARE publishes a number of publications, including Caring Notes, a quarterly newsletter. All information packets, correspondence, and support is free of charge for bereaved parents.

A major SHARE fundraising effort is soliciting for "love gifts," which are monetary donations given in honor of someone or as a memorial to a baby, relative, or friend. People may send donations to National Share Office, 300 First Capitol Drive Street, Charles, MO 63301-2893. SHARE can also be reached by phone at 800-821-6819 or by e-mail at share@nationalshareoffice.com. Additional information can be obtained through the SHARE web site: www.nationalshareoffice.com.

Society of Military Widows

The Society of Military Widows is a national nonprofit organization whose stated purpose is to benefit widows of members of all branches of the uniformed services of the United States whose husbands died either during active service or following retirement. The society provides moral support, advice, and referrals to help the widows of career military members return to normal living. The organization seeks to educate the American public concerning the problems and needs of military widows. It works for fair legislation and survivor benefit programs, monitoring legislation and programs affecting military widows in the U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, and Veterans Administration.

The society was founded in 1968 by Theresa Alexander to serve the needs of women whose military husbands died. In 1984 the society affiliated with the National Association for Uniformed Services, which represents a broad spectrum of military-related interests, in order to create a strong, unified legislative force.

The society publishes a quarterly newsletter, the National Association of Military Widows, and hosts an annual convention for its members. Widows eligible for membership must possess a valid URW (un-remarried widow) military identification card.

The Society of Military Widows is headquartered at 5535 Hempstead Way, Springfield, VA 22151. For questions related to a spouse's death or about rights and benefits as a military survivor, the society can be reached by phone at 800-842-3451, ext. 3009 or by e-mail at benefits@militarywidows. org. Additional information can be obtained through the Society of Military Widows web site: www.militarywidows.org.

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior is the official journal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), an organization of individuals and groups interested in the study of suicide prevention and life-threatening behavior. These members include psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, health educators, physicians, directors of suicide prevention centers, clergy, and others from various disciplines.

The journal began in the early 1970s, and is published by Guilford Publications, known for its publications concerned with psychology, psychiatry, and the behavioral sciences. The journal is edited by Morton M. Silverman, M.D., from the University of Chicago, and includes scholarly research and clinical experience.

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior reaches professionals worldwide and employs an interdisciplinary approach, covering biological, statistical, psychological, and sociological approaches to suicidology. Article titles of the journal have included "Collaborating to Prevent Suicide: A Clinical-Research Perspective," "Suicide Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Cross-National Comparison of 34 Countries," "Suicidality Patterns and Sexual Orientation-Related Factors among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths," "Stressful Life Events and Impulsiveness in Failed Suicide," "Early Suicide Following Discharge from a Psychiatric Hospital," "Loneliness in Relation to Suicide Ideation and Parasuicide: A Population-Wide Study," "An Epidemiological Profile of Suicides in Beijing, China," and "Are UN Peacekeepers at Risk for Suicide?"

Guilford Publications is located at 72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012. They can be reached by phone at 800-365-7006 or by e-mail at info@ guilford.com. Issues of the journal can be viewed on the Guilford Publications web site: www.guilford.com. The AAS is headquartered at 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 408, Washington, DC 20008. Additional information can be obtained through the AAS web site: www.suicidology.org.

The Compassionate Friends

The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a nonprofit, self-help support organization for bereaved parents. The stated mission of TCF is to help families resolve grief resulting from the death of a child of any age. The organization also provides information for friends and family of the bereaved. The group has no religious affiliation or membership dues. TCF does not participate in legislative or political controversy and operates primarily through local chapters.

The Compassionate Friends was founded in 1969 in Coventry, England, following the deaths of two young boys when a hospital chaplain introduced the two sets of parents. They invited other newly bereaved parents to join them and soon organized as a self-help group. The chaplain helped develop other chapters around the world. The Compassionate Friends was incorporated in the United States as a nonprofit organization in 1978. There are now TCF chapters in every state, totaling almost 600, and hundreds of chapters in Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and other countries.

TCF offers help to bereaved siblings. Since many areas do not have TCF groups, the Sibling Forum is available online for siblings from all over the world. Interested siblings need to request the password by e-mail from rep@compassionate friends.org.

The Compassionate Friends publishes a national magazine, We Need Not Walk Alone, available by subscription. They also publish brochures such as "When a Child Dies . . . TCF Can Help," "Caring for Surviving Children," "Surviving Your Child's Suicide," "When a Brother or Sister Dies," and "The Death of an Adult Child." The organization hosts an annual national conference in the United States.

The Compassionate Friends can be reached at P.O. Box 3696, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3696. Chapter information can be obtained by phone at 630-990-0010 or 877-969-0010. Information about Canadian chapters can be obtained by e-mail at TCFCanada@ aol.com. Additional information can be obtained through The Compassionate Friends web site: www.compassionatefriends.org.

The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children

The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) is a self-help organization that seeks to assist families that have had a child who has been murdered. The issues that the group involves itself with include keeping murderers in prison, assisting families with unsolved cases, promoting murder prevention programs, providing emotional support for families, and providing information and advocacy for any survivor of a homicide victim.

Parents of Murdered Children was founded in 1978, and offers support and friendship to those who have experienced the violent death of a family member or friend. It seeks to help survivors return to physical and emotional health. POMC also works to increase public awareness of the problems faced by those who survive a homicide victim. It provides information about the grieving process as it pertains to murder as well as information about the criminal justice system as it pertains to survivors of a homicide victim.

POMC establishes self-help and support groups that meet regularly. It distributes literature and provides guest speakers for organizations. It has created prevention programs to help stop violence. In its newsletter, POMC includes a schedule of parole hearings for prisoners serving homicide sentences.

Parents of Murdered Children is headquartered at 100 E. 8th Street, B-41, Cincinnati, OH 45202. They can be reached by phone at 888-818-POMC or by e-mail at natlpomc@aol.com. Additional information can be obtained through the POMC web site: www.pomc.com.

United Network for Organ Sharing

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a nonprofit organization that maintains the organ transplant waiting list for the entire United States. This is mandated by law and under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. UNOS matches organ donors to waiting recipients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Every transplant program, organ procurement organization, and tissue typing laboratory in the United States belongs to the UNOS network.

UNOS was founded in 1984 and is responsible for developing policies governing the transplant community. This work is done by its forty-member board of directors, comprised of medical professionals, transplant recipients, and donor family members.

UNOS is responsible for monitoring every organ match to ensure that it conforms to UNOS policy. UNOS members work together to develop equitable policies that give all patients a fair chance at receiving the organ they need. Recipients are not discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, race, lifestyle, or financial and social status.

All patients accepted onto a transplant program's waiting list are registered with UNOS, where a centralized computer network links all organ procurement organizations and transplant centers. UNOS maintains the database that contains all transplant data.

When an organ becomes available, UNOS coordinates the surgical teams that are involved. The computerized matching process locates best possible matches between donor organs and the patients who need them. The final decision rests with the patient's transplant team. If they decide the patient cannot use the organ for any number of medical reasons, the organ is offered to the next patient on the list.

The United Network for Organ Sharing is headquartered at 1100 Boulders Parkway, Suite 500, P.O. Box 13770, Richmond, VA 23225. Additional information can be obtained through the UNOS web site: www.unos.org.

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations (UN) that assists nations throughout the world to build better health systems. WHO establishes standards for many goods including food and medicines. It also creates standards for some medical procedures and environmental health. A major goal of WHO is prevention of disease. Toward this end, the agency works with governments to provide safe drinking water, adequate sewage disposal, and immunization against childhood diseases. WHO identifies important research goals and organizes researchers all over the world to achieve these goals. It helps name and classify diseases.

WHO was founded in 1948, three years after the United Nations formed, and has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It also has six regional offices in various parts of the world. WHO has about 190 member nations. Its main branches are the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board, and the Secretariat. The World Health Assembly meets once a year and consists of delegates from all of the member nations. The Executive Board advises the World Health Assembly and implements its policies.

WHO has library services that provide users with access to international health, medical, and development information resources. These are available to WHO headquarters, regions, and country offices, ministries of health and other government offices, health workers in member states, other UN and international agencies, and diplomatic missions. WHO library programs help regions and developing countries achieve selfsufficiency in providing information services to the health sector.

Additional information can be obtained through the WHO web site: www.who.int.