This multidisciplinary program was co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School to inform and deliberate with health care professionals, bioethicists, attorneys, and the public about how to address social justice issues in health care—such pressing problems as worsening drug shortages, continuing racial inequities, providing health care for refugees, uninsured and undocumented persons, and the like.

Using selected examples we discussed the efforts of health care administrators and others to identify and address such large scale health system problems. Is there a role for ethics committees in handling social justice issues—should the attention of hospital ethicists and ethics committees expand to address broader institutional policies and programs? Faculty experts and participants described successful efforts to address specific problems and engaged in thoughtful discussion with participants about strategies and struggles of ethic committees that move beyond individual case consultation to organizational ethics.

Agenda

8:00 – 9:00am, Registration

9:00am, Welcome and introduction

9:10 – 9:50am, Keynote: Is There a Role for Ethics Committees Addressing Social Justice Issues in Health Care?

• James Corbett JD, MDiv, Senior VP, Community Health Improvement & Values Integration, Centura Health

9:50am, Short stretch break

10:00 – 11:45am, Panel: Social Justice Problems and Institutional Responses—Real World Examples and Reflections

• Maureen Banks, VP Operations, Spaulding – Care for Refugees
• Donna Doherty, CNO, BIDPlymouth – Opioid Addiction
• Thea James, VP Mission, Boston Medical Center – Uninsured Patients
• James Heffernan, Co-chair, Pharmacy & Therapeutics, BIDMC – Rationing Drugs

11:45am, Summing Up

11:50am – 12:10pm, Break to Pick Up Lunch

12:15 – 1:00pm, Get-acquainted lunch groups, sharing information and ideas about ethics committee activities

1:00 – 1:10pm, Transition

1:10 – 2:10pm, Concurrent sessions I

Addressing Race in Health Care Delivery and Ethics Consultation

• Gary Bailey LicSW
• Martha Jurchak RN PhD
• Steve O’Neill LicSW, JD

Ethical Aspects of Emergency Preparedness

• ​Ali Parmar
• Meg Femino HEM

Fairness in Assisted Reproduction

• ​​Louise King JD MD
• Other representatives from Boston IVF

Caring for Refugees and Undocumented Patients

• Paul Simmons MD
• Lynn Black MD
• Annekathryn Goodman MD, MS
• Joshua Abrams JD ​

Making Medical Decisions for Unrepresented and Unknowable Patients

• ​Carol Powers JD
• Paul McLean
• Jolion McGreevy MD, MBE, MPH
• Enos Gardiner MDiv

Building Knowledge about Institutional Ethics Strategies

• Charlotte Harrison JD, MPH, PhD
• Jim Sabin MD

​2:10 – 2:20pm, Transition

2:20 – 3:20pm, Concurrent sessions II (repeated)

Addressing Race in Health Care Delivery and Ethics Consultation

• ​Gary Bailey LicSW
• Martha Jurchak RN PhD
• Steve O’Neill LicSW, JD

Building Knowledge about Institutional Ethics Strategies

• Ali Parmar
• Meg Femino HEM

Fairness in Assisted Reproduction

• ​Louise King JD MD
• Representatives from Boston IVF

Caring for Refugees and Undocumented Patients

• ​Paul Simmons MD
• Lynn Black MD
• Annekathryn Goodman MD, MS
• Joshua Abrams JD

Unrepresented and Unknowable Patients

• Carol Powers JD
• Paul McLean
• Jolion McGreevy MD, MBE
• Enos Gardiner MDiv

Ethical Aspects of Emergency Preparedness

• ​Charlotte Harrison JD, MPH, PhD
• Jim Sabin MD

3:20 – 3:30pm, Transition

3:30 – 4:15pm, Embedding Organizational Ethics in the Way We Do the Work

• Jim Conway, MS, Lecturer on Health Care Management, HSPH
  • What is “org ethics” and how do we do it? Can I take this work into my organization?
    • Is addressing these or similar issues organizationally embraced as involving ethics?

4:15pm, Closing Remarks

4:15 – 6:00pm, Poster Session with Masters Students and Networking Reception for All

Support for this conference has been provided by the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund at Harvard University.