Dr. McGregor Receives Pastoral Care Award     12-16-2009

Sutter Medical Group’s Jim McGregor, M.D., palliative medicine physician and Medical Director of the Sacramento and Roseville Visiting Nurses Association and Sutter Hospice, received the 2009 Pierre Salmon Award at the California Hospice & Palliative Care Association annual meeting on November 14.The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to hospice and palliative care in California or Nevada; promoted the growth and availability of hospice and palliative care; and embodied the core values of hospice.

Dr. McGregor was honored for his impressive level of state and national involvement in palliative care as well as his firm commitment to teaching and education. He was also recognized for his quality and compassionate care, his team approach to pain and symptom management, and his integration of emotional and spiritual issues with clinical care. Dr. McGregor provides hospice and palliative care support in many capacities across the region, including serving as Medical Advisor for Palliative Care Services in the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region and Medical Director for the Advance Illness Management in the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region. He also serves as chair of the CME Review Committee of the California Hospice Foundation, Chair of the CHAPCA Education Committee, and as a board member for both organizations.

Dr. McGregor is a Diplomat in the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine as well as in the Board of Family Practice. He has a firm commitment to teaching medicine, not just practicing it. He developed a course entitled “Living with an Incurable Illness” for first and second year medical students. He has taught classes and workshops for Sacramento Healthcare Decisions, the UC Davis Medical School, Paradise Hospice, the Community Hospice of Modesto, and has been a frequent presenter at CHAPCA conferences. He developed what he calls the Medical Minute, an instructive tool where he takes time prior to IDT meetings to discuss areas of particular interest to staff and of concern to hospice patients.

The Pierre Salmon award is named after Dr. Pierre Salmon, who was a hospice medical director. Dr. Salmon was instrumental in the formation of the Bay Area Hospice Association and served as the first president of the Northern California Hospice Association, which merged with its Southern counterpart to ultimately become the California Hospice & Palliative Care Association. Upon his retirement in 1988, this award was created and he was the first recipient. Since its inception, 20 individuals have received this prestigious award.

The California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) is a not-for-profit organization that represents hospice and palliative care providers; Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly; and healthcare professionals in California and Nevada. The California Hospice and Palliative Care Association advocates for those facing life-threatening illness by promoting availability and access to quality end-of-life care.