STHS To Host Palliative & Hospice Care Conference For Healthcare Providers

The day-long continuing education event will allow healthcare professionals and students to deepen their clinical knowledge and enhance caregiving skills

Focused on the care and quality of life of patients, comprehensive, comfort-focused palliative and hospice care is vital for patients living with a serious illness and those with terminal illnesses nearing the end of life.

Palliative and hospice care offer a patient-centered approach to alleviating suffering, enhancing well-being and supporting decision-making for a more dignified experience while offering support for family members and caregivers.

Both require a well-trained team of healthcare professionals with special skills, including nurses, doctors, support workers, physiotherapists and social workers, to ensure the delivery of quality, compassionate care.

“Palliative and hospice care prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual,” says Olga M. Olivares-Herrera, MD, a family medicine physician and hospice and palliative medicine specialist affiliated with South Texas Health System McAllen. “Using a team approach to support patients and their caregivers, palliative and hospice care addresses suffering and takes care of issues beyond physical symptoms, including addressing practical needs and providing bereavement counselling. They aim to offer a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until their passing.”

To provide continuing education to healthcare professionals in the Rio Grande Valley aimed at improving the palliative and hospice care provided to patients and their families, South Texas Health System (STHS) will host a special conference on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Embassy Suites McAllen Convention Center, located at 800 Convention Center Blvd. in McAllen.

The 2025 STHS Palliative & Hospice Care Conference will serve as a unique opportunity for healthcare professionals to deepen their clinical knowledge, enhance their caregiving skills and connect with a network of medical professionals who share a passion for compassionate, person-centered care.

“This daylong symposium has been designed to offer current, evidence-based strategies that support optimal patient management and improved outcomes while helping strengthen the collaboration between local healthcare professionals and wound care specialists to ensure a more comprehensive approach to patient care,” says Lorena Hernandez, Co-Founder, Texas Healthcare Alliance Chamber of Commerce. “Through advanced education, participants will be better equipped to deliver effective interventions, which can lead to improved healing rates, reduced complications and enhanced quality of life for the patients they serve.”

Topics and speakers include: Ethical, Legal, & Clinical Aspects of End-of-Life Care (Dr. Sandra Sanchez-Reilly); When Comfort Becomes Emergency: A Practical Approach to Hospice Medical Crisis (Dr. Sanchez-Reilly); Bridging Hope & Heartache: Trauma Informed Care for Families Facing Terminal Illness (Dr. Enedina Enriquez); Faith, Ethics, & Healing: Navigating Spiritual Dilemmas in Healthcare (Dr. Enriquez); Meaning, Hope, & Healing: The Role of the Chaplain on the Palliative & Hospice Team (Chaplain Marta Dela Tejera); and a special nursing-related presentation (Dr. Andrea Burciaga).

The registration fees are as follows: physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, $50; nurses and social workers, $25. STHS employees who present their ID at the door can participate for free. Lunch will be provided.

Upon completion of the symposium, physicians and nurses will receive up to six hours of continuing education credit from the STHS McAllen Education Department.

For complete details and to register, please visit the official symposium page on Eventbrite. For more information, contact Julieta Piando, STHS CME Coordinator, at 956-385-3473 or julieta.piando@uhsrgv.com.

Who:                 South Texas Health System

What:                2025 STHS Palliative & Hospice Care Conference

Where:              Embassy Suites McAllen Convention Center

800 Convention Center Blvd.

McAllen, TX 78501

When:               Saturday, November 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

About South Texas Health System
South Texas Health System is a multi-facility healthcare system serving patients throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The system includes four acute care facility campuses with specialties in pediatrics, heart and vascular services, maternity and women’s health and trauma services. Inpatient and outpatient treatment for behavioral health needs and addictive disorders is also provided through the system’s South Texas Health System Behavioral facility. South Texas Health System is affiliated with the South Texas Clinical Partners ACO, Prominence Health Plan, and Cornerstone Regional Hospital. The system operates an advanced Level I Trauma Center at South Texas Health System McAllen, the first freestanding children’s facility and pediatric ER at South Texas Health System Children’s, the region’s only freestanding heart hospital and specialized cardiac ER at South Texas Health System Heart, and seven freestanding emergency rooms located in and around Weslaco, Mission, Edinburg, McAllen, Pharr and Alamo. For more information about the system and its comprehensive services, please visit www.southtexashealthsystem.com.