GVSU Kirkhof College of Nursing to host conference

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Speakers at a conference sponsored by Grand Valley State University's Kirkhof College of Nursing will discuss best practices related to effective interpreted communication and how to assist diverse cultures as they cope with death.

"Cultural Approaches to Death and Dying: Celebrating Life When the End Can Be Seen" is scheduled for Monday, November 3, from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., in the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, 301 Michigan St. NE. Media coverage of the conference is welcome. The conference is limited to Grand Valley students, faculty and staff members.

Sheila Rettig, CEO and president of Interpreter Network, is the keynote speaker at 11:30 a.m. A registered nurse, Rettig works with local Bosnian and Somali communities on health issues that affect women and children. She had served as project director for the Michigan/Bosnian Preventative Initiative and was a grants administrator for Metro Health Inc.

Rettig will team with Paul Reitemeier, chair of Grand Valley's Human Research Review Committee and associate professor of philosophy, for the afternoon session that will involve audience participation as they discuss ethical case studies.

Jeanne Arnold, GVSU vice president for Inclusion and Equity, will provide the welcome at 11:15 a.m., following poster presentations by students in the course, "An Introduction to End of Life Care."

For more information about the conference, call the Kirkhof College of Nursing at (616) 331-5781.