Stamford Health Launches New Palliative Care Program

Information via Stamford Health

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford Health recently announced the relaunch of an enhanced palliative care program, with services being offered to all patients in the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center.

This new program expands on the current palliative care offerings for Stamford Hospital inpatients. The program was funded in part by the Kanarek Family Foundation and Robin Bennett Kanarek, who authored the book "Living Well with a Serious Illness: A Guide to Palliative Care for Mind, Body and Spirit."

The donation helped build a palliative care consultation room in the Bennett Cancer Center and is being used to fund education for Stamford Health care partners.

Under the leadership of Dr. Sherry Ng, medical director of Palliative Care at Stamford Health, a dedicated team of physicians and nurse practitioners with over 20 years of experience provides pain and symptom management, and support to patients with any stage of serious illness to help improve their well-being during treatment and recovery.

"Our expert palliative care providers create a layer of support to improve quality of life and help patients manage all facets of living with a serious illness," Ng said in a news release. "Palliative care is such an important part of the patient experience. Our new program ensures our patients receive comprehensive care across the inpatient and outpatient setting."

Palliative care is specialized care appropriate for patients with any form of serious illness or injury, including cancer survivors coping with remaining symptoms or pain.

The Stamford Health Palliative Care Program offers a wide variety of supportive care services to patients of the Bennett Cancer Center, including symptom relief, advanced care planning, and in-depth communication about care goals.

One important aspect of the program is spiritual care, which pays special attention to the emotional experiences of patients and families.

"Spiritual care is unique for each individual," said the Rev. ReBecca Sala, Stamford Health’s manager of spiritual care. "Everyone deserves peace, healing, and support as they go through treatment. Our team of chaplains supports all our patients, with a special focus on palliative care patients. Our team hopes to improve their mental, physical, and spiritual health."

Stamford Health developed the new program with guidance through their collaboration with Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.

To learn more about Stamford Health’s Palliative Care Program, click here.