Digital Palliative Care 4-Year Update for Scott and Cathy

Empowering Patients To Live Well PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation

How Your Support of Palliative Care is Making a Difference In the summer of 2018, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation launched a $2.5 million campaign to bring outpatient palliative care to Whatcom County. Thanks to your extraordinarily generous matching gift and the support of other compassionate donors, the first five years of operational funding for the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Outpatient Palliative Care program was secured, enabling our team to begin serving seriously and chronically ill patients in their own homes or living facilities.

This program that you have helped to create is truly thriving.

Cathy and Scott, we are excited to share this update with you!

2018-2022 Program Report

A Message of Thanks from Our Palliative Care Team Cathy and Scott, the Outpatient Palliative Care team sends a HUGE THANK YOU for all you have done to help establish the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Outpatient Palliative Care program in Whatcom County! Since the program began in 2018 we have served 693 patients and families. This includes the 85 patients currently receiving care from our team.

Thanks to your support, these patients are experiencing less pain, fewer troubling symptoms, greater enjoyment of life and supportive connections with the members of their caregiving team. Because they feel less fearful about their disease process and more in control to shape life as they want it to be, they are less likely to visit the emergency room than patients with similar diagnoses who do not have the benefit of assistance from a palliative care team. Additionally, our patients are less likely to be hospitalized.

You believed in the vision of empowering seriously and chronically ill patients to live as well as possible, for as long as possible. We and our patients are forever grateful!

What we do: Palliative Care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and their circle of loved ones.

Our primary goals are to help with symptom management, provide emotional support, and facilitate conversations around future healthcare needs. Most often, palliative care is delivered alongside curative treatment. As curative options narrow, we help with earlier referrals to Hospice so that patients can fully benefit from the comprehensive services Hospice has to offer.

Patients and their families are so grateful for our services, which are available in Whatcom County because of you!

St. Joseph Palliative Care program results: 

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As of June 30, 2022, patients served since program launch: 693 Average monthly census in FY22: 85 patients, as compared to 65 patients in FY21 Increased patient and family satisfaction

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Fewer hospitalizations

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Fewer emergency room visits

Left to right: Katie Smoucha, RN; Katie Hancock, PharmD; Angela Caffrey, MD; Lisa Schwartz, Patient Navigator; Melissa Sweet, MA; Candace Frawley, Chaplain; Pavan Parashar, MD (Not Pictured: Kori Fish, Program Coordinator; Dana Weldon, RN; Pharmacists Tess Actis, Sabra Peters, Janice Louie; Amie Carr, Volunteer Coordinator)

The future of our program: Palliative Care has already made a tremendous difference in our community, and we are preparing for future growth.

Whatcom County’s 65-and-over population is growing, which means that more neighbors and loved ones are at risk for serious and complex illnesses.

PeaceHealth is participating in a Palliative Care initiative that will ensure our Palliative Care programs across the PeaceHealth system provide high quality and compassionate care as we continue to serve those in need.

Your philanthropic support provides 

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Medication Assistance – for medications not covered by insurance or those with prohibitively expensive copays In-Home Services – including hourly caregiving for patients with mobility issues Financial Assistance – to remove barriers to better health by covering the costs of medical equipment, wheelchairs, crutches, blood testing strips, fans, nebulizers, transportation and nutritious food Complementary Therapies – like acupuncture and massage to alleviate troubling physical symptoms such as pain and nausea that often accompany chronic or serious illness

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Palliative care bridges effective medical treatment with individualized care of the mind, body and spirit. With the support of the PeaceHealth Outpatient Palliative Care team, patients no longer carry the burden of managing their treatment plans alone.

We are deeply grateful to donors for making this possible.

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— Charles Prosper, MSPT, MBA PeaceHealth Northwest Chief Executive

Stuart’s Palliative Care Story Patients and families receive significant benefits from having a multi-disciplinary care team available to serve them. For example, our current patient “Stuart” has met with all members of the Palliative Care team.

Stuart has been diagnosed with advanced cancer. He has limited financial means, no local family members and limited social support from friends and neighbors.

Since the start of his time on Palliative Care, our physician has made recommendations to help Stuart’s pain. His nurse has helped clarify his medications, and she communicates with his primary care provider. Our social worker has helped Stuart apply for state financial assistance and our patient navigator has delivered some medical equipment. Without your help, none of this critical support would have been available to Stuart.

Our team helps patients navigate complex healthcare systems and arrange for early interventions to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.

This coordination produces better outcomes and brings profound real-life impacts, including . . . 

Enhanced quality of life for patients and families managing chronic or prolonged illness

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Decreased patient depression and anxiety

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Reduced duration and severity of symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and nausea

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Fewer hospital stays or emergency room visits

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Respite for weary family caregivers, enabling them to be more fully present for their loved one

Cathy and Scott, thank you for investing in meaningful, individualized, holistic care for seriously ill patients and their loved ones. You are making a difference!

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation 2901 Squalicum Parkway Bellingham, WA 98225

To learn more please contact: Karen Haggen, Development Officer 360-319-0141 | khaggen@peacehealth.org Jennifer Fix, Development Officer 360-421-5646 | jfix@peacehealth.org Britt Kane, Associate Development Officer 360-303-1641 | bkane1@peacehealth.org