10/15/2026
noon
What does it mean to truly honor a person at the end of life? At Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (KCH), we believe every person has a story, a life worth celebrating and a unique journey worth honoring.
Join us for Honoring the Journey: Celebrations at the End of Life, a special Community Education Series session highlighting some of the meaningful and distinctive ways our team recognizes the people we serve and the loved ones who surround them.
Our KCH chaplains, clinical educator and medical director will share how thoughtful celebrations and ceremonies can create moments of connection, recognition and reflection throughout the end-of-life journey. Discover the many ways we celebrate and recognize the people we serve, from our Nurse Honor Guard program and physician recognition to personalized celebrations of life, our Serve & Honor program for Veterans, and other special ceremonies performed by our chaplains before and after death.
Presenters
Donna Stevenson, BSN, RN
KCH Clinical Educator
Donna Stevenson is a seasoned Clinical Educator at Kansas City Hospice with more than two decades of nursing experience spanning patient care, education and leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from MidAmerica Nazarene University and has a strong background in hospice admissions, nurse instruction, and clinical onboarding.
Donna leads several key initiatives for KCH including the ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium) training program, and serves on the KCH Serve & Honor Veterans Committee and the Veterans Education Committee. She is also the driving force behind the Kansas City Hospice Nurse Honor Guard, honoring the legacy of nurses at end of life. Her expertise and passion make her a respected voice in hospice and palliative care education.
Pamela Harris, MD, FAAPMR, FAAHPM
KCH Medical Director
Dr. Pamela Harris is the Director of Medical Programs for Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care. She received her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine where she specialized in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR). She is board-certified in Kansas and Missouri in PMR. Dr. Pam joined Kansas City Hospice as an Associate Medical Director in 2006. She has given several presentations which include pain management, advanced directives, and ethics in palliative care. She is also an ordained Deacon in the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church.
KCH Chaplains
Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains Melissa Bowers, Kristin Dow, Jay Sandbloom, and David Spaite help our team of 10 professional chaplains provide spiritual care to over 350 hospice patients and families every day. They also provide encouragement and support to the rest of our hospice team members, and provide our community with compassionate and helpful information about caring for loved ones at the end of their life.
Melissa Bowers, MA, MPS
KCH Chaplain
Kristin Dow, M.Div.
KCH Chaplain
Jay Sandbloom, M.Div.
KCH Chaplain
