New York State Palliative Care Collaborative Announced to Promote Improved Quality of Life for Those with Chronic or Life-Limiting Illnesses Albany, NY- Thanksgiving is a time when families gather and appreciate their blessings. Health care professionals often recommend this time of year to have frank, honest discussions with loved ones about appropriate care for those living with chronic and serious health conditions. That’s why the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and other organizations are using this week to announce the formation of the New York State Palliative Care Collaborative. Palliative care is specialized medical care that is focused on providing patients with relief from pain, stress and other symptoms that result from serious illness and is often administered alongside curative treatment. The members of the Collaborative believe that every patient should have access to palliative care at any stage of their diagnosis. “Thanksgiving week was chosen to announce the formation of the New York State Palliative Care Collaborative so that we can stress the value of palliative care and hospice and urge families as they gather this week to have discussions with loved ones about their wishes regarding future medical care before they are in a crisis situation,” said Kathy McMahon, President and CEO of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State. “Advance care planning assures you will get the medical care you would want, even when doctors and family members are making decisions for you.” “Palliative care is crucial to support those with serious health conditions,” said Michael Burgess, New York government relations director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “We see the formation of this collaborative as an important step in working toward strengthening the current resources in New York State, as well as initiating new ones to help improve the quality of life of those living with chronic conditions and their family members.” The recently issued Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report, “Dying in America,” states “Palliative care is associated with a higher quality of life, including better understanding and communication, access to home care, emotional and spiritual support, well-being and dignity, care at time of death, and lighter symptom burden.” The IOM’s recommendations regarding delivery of care, advance care planning, professional education, policies and payment systems, and public education and engagement support the goals and objectives of the newly formed New York State Palliative Care Collaborative. “The IOM report Dying in America places the issue of palliative care and advanced illness management front and center in the discussion of health care in the United States,” said Dr. Joan Dacher, a professor of nursing at the Sage Colleges. “With this report it is no longer possible to relegate palliative care to the margins of health care as an attempt to deny care to individuals. Palliative care is firmly situated on the continuum of care and is recognized to be a hall mark of the highest possible care.” “Palliative care can be integral to helping patients tolerate complex treatment protocols, thereby helping them achieve the maximum intended benefits of treatment,” said Cheryl Gelder-Kogan, health care consultant, who has been involved with several health care institutions. “Palliative care can help keep patients at home, avoiding costly and inconvenient hospitalizations, improving quality of life for the patient and for their loved ones.” The Collaborative is being formed as the health care community continues to increasingly understand the importance of palliative care for the quality of life of those with chronic or life-limiting illnesses. Palliative care offers an extra layer of spiritual, social and medical support for those with serious health issues and their family members. The mission of this new Collaborative is to foster individual, family and community support for education about and access to quality palliative care for all New Yorkers upon diagnosis of a chronic, progressive or life-limiting illness. The Collaborative will work to grow a grassroots network for education and action. The members will work to identify and bring together otherwise separate communities of interest for whom access to palliative care is or would be a highly valued model of care. Among the goals of this Collaborative are: To support a grassroots movement that will give voice to the existing need for palliative care among individuals, families and the healthcare provider community; To identify individuals with the potential to become community-based activists and leaders on behalf of palliative care; To Influence legislation and policy for palliative care by developing a clear policy agenda promoted through the strength of a collective voice; To facilitate a clear understanding of palliative care’s essential role from the point of diagnosis; To develop and implement public education strategies regarding the rights to palliative care as mandated in the NYS Palliative Care Information Act (PCIA) & Palliative Care Access Act (PCAA); To create a foundation for sustainable partnerships for ongoing palliative care education.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 01:38:06 +0000
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