Advance Care Planning and the Legacy of Dr. Richard Payne

The African American Advance Care Planning Palliative Care Network is the brainchild of the late Dr. Richard Payne, a man of great honor and distinguished character. I’ll always remember being introduced to him, initially by phone in 2006, when I was working on my Master’s in Social Work. My thesis was on African Americans at the end of life and I wanted to ask Dr. Payne if I could reference his work. He not only said yes but also became a mentor to me. I had the opportunity to work with him on multiple projects. 

Dr. Payne’s exemplary leadership was always balanced with his love for his family and his fellow man. I believe that God graced my life for 12 precious years to work with Dr. Payne and to become friends with him and his devoted wife, Terrie—the love of his life.

Our first Network meeting in Durham was indeed sacred. I learned that the meeting room where we gathered at Duke University’s Divinity School was the same place where Dr. Payne had first spoken on the topic of AA-ACP. We felt an air of peace and solidarity of mind for the work at hand—the right place, the right time, and for the right reason. Sacred indeed.

I believe I speak for us all in the Network when I say that we are committed to advancing equitable healthcare and service delivery to the most vulnerable persons in our society. I am honored to be a part of that mission. As we move forward in furthering the work of the AA-ACPN, we also continue the monumental legacy of Dr. Payne’s incredible lifework and vision.

GLORIA THOMAS ANDERSON, PhD, LMSW

Advance Care Planning & Health Living Through Faith

African American Advance Care Planning Palliative Care Network member

Walking Humbly with a Sacred Mission

When our colleague and mentor, Dr. Richard Payne, died suddenly in January 2019 following a short but aggressive illness, we gathered in Kansas City in April to celebrate his life and to explore how we might continue his legacy work in advance care planning with African American faith communities. 

Richard had an idea of establishing a network of leaders, believers, doers, mentors and healers – ministers of the body and physicians of the soul – to bring this sacred work to fruition. We knew his death meant that without his physical presence, we had to capture his essence in another way. So, we invited the most dedicated, brilliant, innovative and inspirational group of leaders we could find already at work in this space, often inspired and encouraged by Dr. Payne’s life and work. We asked them to join us at the end of July and first of August in a gathering at Duke Divinity School – if not in person, then virtually.  Nearly everyone in the room and online had been profoundly touched and nurtured by Dr. Payne in our work as ministers and pastors, social workers and community advocates, physicians and researchers, nurses and ethicists. They all said yes and many added, “Amen.”

Terrie Payne opened our meeting asking us to determine how we would act on the conviction about her Richie’s life that called us to chart the next steps of this journey.  And so, we began. Rolling up our sleeves, we got to work.

CPB’s role as convener was to facilitate and unleash the energy and imagination of one of the most powerful group of leaders ever assembled to discern this unchartered, and as yet incomplete, journey.

Our work will require investigating and recalling dozens of efforts and myriad resources spanning decades of work while re-creating new approaches and tools. We will discern the leadership and evolving network to carry this work deeper into our communities and beyond. This will be Rich’s legacy and it will become ours. Stay tuned and join in the journey.

Pictured below are those who were with us in person on Day 2. In addition, we were joined online by Yvonne Delk, Chris Brady, Lauren Van Scoy and Vivian Anugwom. 

From left to right on the Back Row:

Kimberly Johnson, Patrick Smith, Janice Bell, Cindy Leyland, Cynthia Carter Perilliatt, Marisette Hasan, Tammie Quest, Julie Boudreau, Corey Kennard, Harriet Holloway, Diane Deese, Ronit Elk

Front Row:   

Gloria Ramsey, John Carney, Karen Bullock, Toya Booth, Gloria Anderson, Terrie Payne, Gloria White-Hammond, Pamela Witt