(HENDERSON, NV, September 30, 2008) – St. Rose Dominican Hospitals’ Palliative Care program has received the 2009 National Consensus Project Quality in Palliative Care Leadership Award. Only nine programs in the United States were selected for the prestigious award this year.
The National Consensus Project Quality in Palliative Care Award is presented annually to top organizations that have enhanced their palliative care services by implementing palliative care principles espoused by the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care (NCP) and the National Quality Forum (NQF).
“Being recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in palliative care is incredibly rewarding,” said Rod Davis, president, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. “Our team of talented palliative care nurses, social workers, case managers and chaplains are very deserving of this award, and I know they will continue to serve as models for others in this rapidly growing field.”
Palliative Care refers to a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to care that aims to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic conditions or life-threatening illness and their families. Palliative care programs guide patients and families through the decision making process and assist with development of goals for their care – not only during their hospitalization but for the duration of the treatment plan as well, including end-of-life care. The philosophy of palliative care is rooted in educating and empowering patients and their families through prevention, assessment and treatment of pain as well as other physical, psychological and spiritual concerns. St. Rose Dominican Hospitals’ Palliative Care program was started in late 2004 and has since supported more than 3,100 patients.
According to Dr. Vicki Koceja, RN-BC, OCN, MBA, PhD, Oncology/Palliative Care Service Line Market Director at St. Rose, “Anyone who comes to our hospital with a chronic illness has access to the Palliative Care program. We help patients and families coordinate various components of complicated disease management strategies and provide additional education and resources so they can extend the time between hospital stays. We have even incorporated ‘wellness coaching’ into our model in order to set short and long term goals with patients in an effort to develop a plan that helps them work toward a different state of health, if possible.”
