The Consortium Ethics Program: Continuing Ethics Education for Community Healthcare Professionals

This paper discusses the University of Pittsburgh’s Consortium Ethics Program (CEP), a nationally recognized regional ethics education network. In existence since 1990, the CEP has grown from a grant-funded pilot project of 12 acute-care hospitals to its current self-supporting status funded by participation fees from 38 member institutions. The CEP’s main goal is to provide education in clinical ethics in a cost-effective manner. This paper describes the key aspects of the program including its origins, goals, membership requirements, educational curricula, and funding base. While focusing on the concepts of “creating a moral community,” this paper addresses “stewardship,” “preventative ethics,” and “justice,” and some practical wisdom about how to institute and maintain such a program.