University Award Winner

2005

The Thomas Palliative Care Program
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
(USA)

The Thomas Palliative Care Program within Virginia Commonwealth University Medical
Center is a hospital based acute care based program dedicated to pain and symptom
management as well as emotional, spiritual and psychological support for patients and
their families. As a leading academic center, each year we train hundreds of health care professionals in both the humanistic and medical aspects of palliative care as well as providing monthly 2-day training sessions to teams from other hospitals around the nation on how to create, build, and sustain excellent palliative care programs in their own institutions.  Over the course of this 3-year program, we will reach over 100 hospitals.  The program includes three interwoven components: an 11-bed dedicated unit specifically for acute palliative care; a consultation service led by Board Certified Palliative Medicine MDs, Palliative Medicine fellows, and a masters-trained clinical nurse specialist; and a pain and symptom management clinic led by a pain specialist. An interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, chaplains, and a host of volunteers, attends to physical comfort, emotional and psychological health, and social and spiritual needs of patients and their families and friends. The Palliative Care service cares for over 1500 patients annually.

 

Team from Thomas Palliative Care at VCU Medical Center (from left to right) Lori Rockwell, RN Ellie Coyne, PR & Volunteer Coordinator Barton Bobb, Nurse Practitioner Jill Laird, Nurse Manager Tom Smith, MD Director of Thomas Palliative Care Unit Brian Cassel, Senior Analyst for Oncology Administration Tim Ford, Chaplain Sophronia Chism, Care Partner Mary Ann Hager, Administrator & Nursing Director Deena Bugge, RN Roz Campbell, Administrative Assistant Laurie Lyckholm, MD Patrick Coyne, MSN, APRN, FAAN, Clinical Director of Thomas Palliative Care Unit

 

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