207 Morgan Street Mount Pleasant, Texas 75455 · Phone 888-429-2966 or 903-577-1510 · Fax 903-577-9377
What is a palliative care program?
Palliative care aims to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for patients with advanced illness, and their families. Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary team and may be offered in conjunction with all other appropriate forms of medical treatment. Palliative care programs structure a variety of hospital resources such as medical and nursing specialists, social workers and clergy to effectively deliver the highest quality of care to patients with advanced illness. Vigorous pain and symptom control is integrated into all stages of treatment.
Numerous studies of people with serious illness show they want the types of services that palliative care provides.
- Aggressive treatment of pain and other symptoms
- Relief from worry, anxiety and depression Communications about their care over time and the illness progression
- Coordinated care throughout the multiple-year course of an illness
- Support for family caregivers
- Help in locating and accessing health care resources
- Close monitoring of care
Partnership Initiative with Titus Regional Medical Center
In 2005, Cypress Basin Hospice initiated discussions with Titus Regional Medical Center regarding the feasibility of beginning a Palliative Care program in the hospital. Representatives from Cypress Basin Hospice and Titus Regional Medical Center embarked on a thorough educational program to learn more about how palliative care programs were developed, the roles and responsibilities of implementing a hospice/hospital partnership and the impact on quality care in the community.
In October 2005, the Palliative Care Program at Titus Regional Medical Center was launched. Cypress Basin Hospice provides consultative services on pain and symptom management and assisted in the training of a Palliative Care Physician to lead the program. The end result of this service will create many successful outcomes for patients and families undergoing chronic and terminal illness who for one reason or another are not ready or eligible for hospice care.
Eligibility for Palliative Care
The goal of palliative care is to create a support mechanism for patients and families closer to the diagnosis of any number of chronic illnesses. Patients who have unacceptable levels of pain and other symptom distress, uncontrolled psychosocial or spiritual issues, frequent visits to the Emergency Department, more than one hospital admission for the same diagnosis within 30 days, prolonged length of stays without evidence of progress and patients in ICU with documented poor prognosis are candidates for palliative care services.
How are Palliative Care Services Accessed
Palliative Care Consultations must be requested by the patient’s attending physician. The Hospital’s Palliative Care Physician along with Palliative Care Consult Team will assess the patient and family for appropriate services. The team will assist the attending physician to formulate a palliative plan of care while the patient is hospitalized and support this plan after the patient is discharged. For more information on the Palliative Care Services offered through Titus Regional Medical Center contact the Hospital Social Worker at (903) 577-6000.