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January 2009 |
SPOTLIGHT ON... In the furtherance of our enthusiastic commitment to serving the charities we assist, Schiff Hardin's Tax-Exempt Organizations practice is proud to present our Philanthropic Spotlight. Each month, we will turn over the microphone to one of the many organizations we work with so that you can learn about some wonderful work that is being done to make the world a better place. With that, we are proud to introduce you to The R.E.S.T. Initiative.
Through the power of the human touch, The R.E.S.T. Initiative works to alleviate the fear, anxiety and stress of chemotherapy treatment by bringing massage therapies directly into chemotherapy treatment rooms. The mission of The R.E.S.T Initiative is not only to ease the chemotherapy experience through the application of complementary massage and bodywork, but more importantly, to add a positive and nurturing component to a process normally defined by fear, grief and hurt. Building on the inspiration and purpose of relief, energy, synergy and touch, our goal is to provide an element of wellness and self-care at a time when it is most crucial to the patient. The R.E.S.T Initiative strives to change the focus from illness to wellness. Starting on January 20, 2009, The R.E.S.T. Initiative will launch its program at the NCI-designated NYU Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. R.E.S.T. will focus its efforts in the outpatient infusion areas of the NYU Clinical Cancer Center and will provide their services at no cost to the patient. "With two floors of infusion rooms, NYU sees approximately 120 cancer patients a day in just those areas alone," says R.E.S.T. President and Founder Pamela Schein Murphy. "We are excited to start helping as many of them as we can." Integrative medicine combines the discipline of modern science with the wisdom of ancient healing. For people living with chronic or life-threatening illness, it can transform the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of their lives. Numerous studies have shown that touch is a powerful elixir for the side effects of chemotherapy. Complementary therapies are not substitutes for mainstream medical care, but when used in concert with traditional medical treatments, they have been proven to alleviate tension, reduce pain and anxiety, manage symptoms, and promote a feeling of well-being, both physically and psychologically. The R.E.S.T Initiative is the only program of its kind designed to complement the chemotherapy regimen by integrating aspects of wellness and healing. As pioneers in the field, our resources go directly toward training practitioners to work in chemotherapy centers as well as toward making certain every patient benefits from these services. Everything R.E.S.T offers is provided at no cost to the patient. Founded by Pamela Schein Murphy, The R.E.S.T Initiative emerged from her own experience with chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer in 2006. After going through a process largely defined by endless hours of waiting, apprehension and discomfort, she decided that it would be possible to counterbalance some of the anxieties of the treatment process itself while simultaneously providing health benefits. After successfully completing her own course of chemo, she decided that the way to give back would be to provide other cancer patients with a respite from treatment — in the midst of what feels like a series of never-ending delays, needles, machines and compounded by the fear of the medicine itself, there can be comfort. Out of identifying a way to make patients focus on themselves and their wellness during the counter-intuitive, though necessary, treatment that is chemotherapy, The R.E.S.T Initiative was born. RECENT PUBLICATIONS
ABOUT SCHIFF HARDIN LLP Schiff Hardin LLP is enthusiastically committed to serving the legal needs of tax-exempt organizations, matched by significant experience and practice capabilities in this area. Our attorneys provide comprehensive counsel to a wide array of public and private philanthropic, health care, medical and scientific research, housing, neighborhood redevelopment, cultural, artistic, civic, college and educational, and religious organizations, as well as social welfare organizations, trade associations and business leagues, business and housing cooperatives, and professional fundraisers.  |
