Supporting People of Color through grief and end-of-life.

Health Care Access

County of Los Angeles

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

No matter who you are, death and loss are universal and an inevitable part of life. However, the rise of social unrest and continued impacts of COVID-19 have highlighted a key part of dying that we haven't acknowledged widely before now: there is inequity in the way we die. These inequities exist because of medical racism, particularly within western medicine's healthcare systems; lack of data and research specifically focused on BIPOC bodies; implicit bias leading to mistreatment and misdiagnosis of BIPOC patients; and lack of accessible, relevant, culturally-specific educational resources available.

PAUSE provides support for communities as a tool for coping through the collective pain People of Color share in the face of great societal change. And we actively, proudly amplify the work of passionate subject matter experts who create resources, offerings, and services that serve People of Color. PAUSE Leaders is a collection of programs that offer support to POC leaders in the end-of-life and grief industry through professional and content development, collaboration with others providers, and respite. Leaders will engage in programming that connects them to other practitioners, deepens their vocational identity, and enhances their culturally-appropriate service offerings. Our signature pilot, the Starlight Residency, was launched in 2022 with immense success. PAUSE's Residency is a no-cost offering for organizations, business owners, and concept creators from Communities of Color to receive support for their work in grief and end of life. This program is the first of its kind and launched with the generous support of Harman Foundation. The Residency, a 12-month program that has moved from virtual to in-person in Los Angeles, supports and amplifies the work of a diverse cohort of remarkable, leading professionals. In addition to module-based learning, The Residency will give participants an opportunity to expand their resources, leadership, and network resilience in the end of life industry. https://www.timetopause.org/starlight-business-development-residency

Our work's impact will directly lead to increased awareness and activate conversations about gaps in care within end-of-life experiences by engaging leaders in the advocacy of health equity and equity in death. Organizations and entities run by People of Color are creating innovative, impactful culturally-specific offerings while operating within a system that provides less opportunities for funding and long-term success. We believe that offering them development and sustainability will allow them to better serve their communities. Conversations about inequities in death and grief are currently limited to the communities affected by them. We believe that a wider conversation about these issues, along with solution-based offerings, will benefit Communities of Color. By educating and changing the institutions that care for them, we envision a greater systems-change that will result in enhanced and better access to end-of-life services.

PAUSE measures our impact by evaluating: Increased awareness of and active conversation about gaps in care for POC within end-of-life Enhanced services + resources stemming from our program participants and organization Leaders who are engaged in the advocacy of health equity and equity in death for POC Financially and operationally equipped leaders serving POC within end-of-life Public access to culturally relevant resources to help navigate end-of-life experiences