Editors’ Note

Eighteen years before acquiring Wally Findlay Galleries International, Inc., in 1998, James Borynack purchased Wally Findlay Galleries in New York, having already been its Director and Senior Vice President. His relationship with the company began in 1972, when he was hired as a salesman after having served as a partner at De Noyer, a boutique specializing in European high-fashion imports. He has also served in various government-related positions, including Cultural Attaché and Ambassador for Republicans Abroad International. In addition, he served as North American President of the auction house Phillips Son & Neale and worked for RE/MAX of New York in franchise sales and marketing. He is an alumnus of New York’s Parsons School for Design.

Company Brief

As art dealers serving individuals, institutions, and corporate collectors, Wally Findlay Galleries International, Inc. (www.wallyfindlay.com), was founded in 1870 in Kansas City, Missouri. With galleries in New York, Barcelona, and Los Angeles, and affiliates in London, Paris, and Monte Carlo, in addition to its flagship premises in Palm Beach, Florida, Wally Findlay Galleries specializes in impressionist and post-impressionist masters and is considered one of the leading authorities of paintings of the School of Rouen (France). The gallery currently represents more than 60 contemporary artists worldwide, creating more than 50 exhibitions annually within the gallery network.

The National Hospice Foundation (www.nationalhospicefoundation.org) was established in 1992 as an independent charitable foundation to support initiatives that inform the American public, promote community dialogue, support research and innovation, and enhance the ability of hospice providers to deliver information and services to their communities.

Can you provide an overview of the National Hospice Foundation and the critical work that it provides?

The National Hospice Foundation [NHF] is committed to leading global philanthropic efforts that advance high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care for all people. The driving passion of the NHF is to ensure that all people have access to the very best care when they are coping with serious and life-limiting illness, dying, and grief.

While hospices care for people of all ages, the majority of hospice patients are older people. Our nation is witnessing the aging of the baby boomers, and in the next 20 years or so, the number of Americans older than the age of 65 is expected to double to 70 million. The need for care will increase exponentially, and the NHF wants to make sure quality care is available. Last year, our nation’s hospices served 1.3 million Americans with life-limiting illnesses, and we can expect that number to increase.

Can you highlight the key programs that the foundation is focused on?

There are a number of initiatives that the NHF is working on. Some of the most important at this time are related to quality and access.

All people who are on life’s final journey, no matter where they are, should know that the care they are receiving from a hospice provider meets the highest standards of practice. Quality Partners is a program the NHF supports that helps hospice organizations build organizational excellence and improve patient outcomes. The Quality Partners program puts a vast number of tools and resources into the hands of hospice and palliative care providers – it puts them right in the center of their organization’s assessment and improvement efforts.

In addition, public awareness and education concerning care at the end of life is still needed. Currently, 30 percent of hospice patients receive care for seven days or fewer. That doesn’t give patients or family caregivers the opportunity to benefit fully from the wide range of services that hospices offer. All people should know how hospice care can help them and when it’s right to access services. Consumer educational efforts will help this. A program the NHF is committed to supporting is Caring Connections, a consumer engagement program that provides extensive resources to help people understand hospice and palliative care, advanced care planning, caregiving, how to cope with grief, and more. In fact, I encourage anyone looking for information to visit Caring Connections at www.caringinfo.org.

An exciting program that the NHF helped kick off this past November is Partnering for Children, a national awareness campaign to help get the word out about compassionate, family-centered health care for children with life-threatening conditions. The campaign is reaching out to parents, health care professionals, and the media about the benefits of hospice and palliative care.

The NHF is passionate about ensuring that the best care possible is available, and the best care is based on research. While some research has been done in the field, much more is needed, and funds raised by the NHF will help expand the scientific base of information used to advance the science of hospice and palliative care.

Does NHF focus specifically on the United States, or is there a global focus?

In addition to having programs and initiatives in the United States, the NHF is actively involved with a number of important global efforts, most notably being the creation and launch of the Diana Legacy Fund, which supports care in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where 6,500 people die of HIV/AIDS every day. The Diana Legacy Fund, named after the late Diana, Princess of Wales, supports U.S.-African hospice partnerships, provides technical assistance, and supports education and advocacy efforts.

The NHF and its affiliate organizations work collaboratively with many international organizations committed to addressing end-of-life needs across the globe. A report from the International Observatory on End of Life Care found that 33 percent of countries surveyed had no palliative care activity that could be identified. We, as a nation, have much to share with others, and there is a great deal that we can learn from other people across the world. Relief from pain and suffering is a basic human right, and we must address that as a global community.

What excited you about the opportunity to become involved with the NHF?

It is not easy to think about death and dying, but it’s a reality that all people must face at some point. I have confronted these issues in my personal life, have seen friends and colleagues struggle with the loss of loved ones, and have found myself reaching out to support others during this most difficult of times. I have been fortunate as well to see the many benefits that hospice provides, and I have come to learn that hospice is really about living as fully as possible. When the opportunity to work with the NHF presented itself, I knew immediately that this was something I would be honored to contribute to.