Ethicist to give community presentation

July 27, 2007

PALMER - The Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Ethics Committee invites the community to attend a presentation titled &#8220Practical Ethics” from visiting ethicist Dr. Jim Bachman on Wednesday, August 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Denali Room on the third floor.

This presentation may be of special interest to local pastors, teachers and principals, lay caregivers, school nurses and other health related providers. However, the presentation is free and open to the public and all are welcome!

The Ethics Committee is a hospital committee comprised of doctors, nurses, social workers, clergy and lay people who help patients, family members, physicians and hospital employees work through difficult issues. Occasionally, circumstances in life require making decisions when the issues and needs are unclear and conflicting.

From care complicated by substance abuse and other behavioral health problems to death and dying issues and even stem cell research, staff and family members often have to reach consensus on ethical grounds in order to provide appropriate care and comfort for the patient.

The committee's role is to help those involved explore the ethical considerations to reach an acceptable solution.

Dr. Bachman will share his expertise related to ethical concerns and dilemmas that arise within the hospital care setting among patients, family members and staff.

The goal is to demonstrate a way to make ethical theorizing practical and useful for everyday decision-making.

Dr. Bachman will make his presentation interactive, seeking input from participants through discussion or in break out groups and demonstrating the fruitfulness of ethical reasoning and reflection. Participants will learn the two key elements of the interrogative model of reasoning and be introduced to the role of &#8220questioning strategies” in ethical reasoning.

In addition, attendees will learn the significance and limits of employing a variety of ethical theories, including religious theories, when theories are understood as questioning strategies.

Dr. James Bachman was educated at Valparaiso University in math and philosophy, at Cambridge University and Concordia Seminary in theology and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at Florida State University.

Dr. Bachman taught at Florida State University and then was appointed the first occupant of the John R. Eckrich Chair in Religion and the Healing Arts at Valparaiso University in Indiana. In this position his research and teaching focused on ethical and social/political issues in health care.

After a decade of work at Valparaiso University, Dr. Bachman accepted appointment as Professor of Philosophy and Ethics and as Dean of the School of Theology and Philosophy at Concordia University, Irvine, CA.

He currently serves as Dean of Graduate Studies in Christ College School of Philosophy and Theology.

Dr. Bachman has been a visiting scholar at the Hastings Center for Bioethics, is a regular consultant on health ethics for both religious and secular institutions, and is past president of the Chicago Clinical Ethics Programs. He regularly speaks at conferences and workshops around the country and has published numerous articles. Current topics include embryonic stem cell research and public policy, religious voices in secular settings, sexual ethics, and a variety of health care topics.

Dr. Bachman serves on the Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee for the University of California Irvine, and he has also served on the Animal Use and Care Oversight Committee at UCI.