Palliative Care
Providing compassionate care
Living with a serious illness is not easy. There are difficult topics to discuss, treatment options to consider and decisions to make.
Palliative Care is specialized care for people with serious illness provided by our team of specialists in coordination with a patient’s physician. The focus of palliative care is to promote quality of life for patients and their families who are living with a serious illness. Call (707) 963-6419 to request a consult or for more information.
The palliative team is comprised of (pictured above left to right) Jody Schultz, NP, Greg Miller, MD, and Susan Raunegger, LCSW. They work collaboratively with clinical staff to provide compassionate care for any stage of illness and to promote quality of life in serious illness. Their services include:
- Serving as educators and mentors for hospital staff
- Providing physical, psychological, social and spiritual support to family and patient
- Facilitating care planning with patient and family to meet multidimensional care needs
- Assisting patients in establishing goals of care and establishing priorities
- Encouraging advanced care planning
If you're considering palliative care, below are triggers to identifying the need for a palliative care consult and/or simply more information:
- Frequent emergency department visits and/or hospital admissions
- Advance disease, including cancer, dementia and heart, lung or renal disease
- Poorly-controlled symptoms: physical, psycho-social or spiritual
- Confusion or family dynamic issues around advanced directive or goals of care
Advance Directives
California law provides individuals the ability to make their health care wishes known through a form called an Advance Health Care Directive.
An Advance Health Care Directive lets your physician, family and friends know your health care preferences, including the types of special treatment you want or don't want at the end of life, your desire for diagnostic testing, surgical procedures, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and organ donation.
By considering your options early, you can ensure that your wishes are known and that your family doesn't have to "guess" or make critical medical care decisions for you under stress or while in emotional turmoil.
Download a form (PDF) now:
Note: This is intended for informational purposes only. If you have questions, please consult with your physician, lawyer, or other appropriate person.
Adventist Health St. Helena Palliative Care
To request consultation or for further information, please call:
(707) 963-6419