In August, the once-flush and nationally renowned nonprofit ran into a financial crisis as its grant funding expired. The organization backed out of a lease, cut staff and searched for a new home and new sources of funding.
Apparently, that search was fruitless. Director Lilly Tuholske predicted then that the institute would survive the tough times.
On Tuesday, Tuholske did not return calls from the Missoulian.
“My analysis is that Life's End was blessed with a good budget for a good period of time and did not know how to downsize fast enough,” said co-founder and gerontologist Barbara Spring.
Founded in 1996 by Spring and Dr. Ira Byock, two major national figures in the study of death and dying, the Life's End Institute received a total of about $1.2 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation between 1997 and 2003, according to the foundation's Web site and Andrea Deitz, a spokeswoman.
The institute conducted groundbreaking studies and ran a number of outreach programs that have served as models for scores of communities. The organization was recognized widely as a leader in its discipline.
The nonprofit also received significant funds for its work. As recently as 2003, the institute had a yearly budget of about $750,000 and a staff of 14.
When Spring and Byock founded the institute, they were on the leading edge of a national effort by a number of foundations to address end-of-life care.
“We were in the right place at the right time,” Spring said.
In 2003, Byock left Missoula for a post at Dartmouth Medical School as director of palliative medicine. Spring remained in Missoula and focused on her own research. She and Byock are collaborating on a book called “A Death in the Family.”
The Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life will take on research and assessment tools, databases and data compiled over the years by Life's End. In addition, Duke will keep the licensing rights of a stage play written by Bryan Harnetiaux called “Vesta.”
St. Patrick Hospital will take on administration of the Choices Bank, a repository of about 5,000 end-of-life directives, said Judy Gustafson of the the hospital's Pain and Palliative Care Services.
“The Choices Bank is still active. We're getting directives. We're committed to maintaining (the bank) as a community-based service,” Gustafson said.
“It will take a lot of work, but we will find a way to do it,” she added.
“I'm proud of what we accomplished. We had quite a ride,” Spring said.
Reporter Robert Struckman can be reached at 523-5262 or at rstruckman@missoulian.com
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