Palliative Care For Cancer Patients
Palliative medicine is a medical subspecialty focused on relieving the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness and ensuring the highest possible quality of life for both patient and family. Palliative medicine treats chronic and/or serious illness regardless of prognosis, and patients can receive it at any point in their illness.
Palliative Care can be delivered at the same time as life prolonging care or as the main focus of care.
St. Vincent’s Palliative Medicine Consult Team offers the services of its highly trained staff at the request of the patient’s physician. The team assesses the pain and/or symptoms, as well as the psychosocial and emotional needs of the patient, first, and then the family, if appropriate.
Our Palliative Medicine team can offer immediate assistance in an emergent situation or can participate in the goals of care throughout a patient’s illness. The consult team works closely with the attending physician to ensure that patients continue to receive expert and compassionate palliative care with or without curative treatment.
Palliative care is accomplished with compassion and with the philosophy of treating the whole person – mind, body and spirit. Compassionate care is our mission.
The Elizabeth M. Pfriem SWIM Center for Cancer Care
The Elizabeth M. Pfriem SWIM Center for Cancer Care is accredited with commendation by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.
Criteria for accreditation include a relationship with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and a representative from the ACS is a member of our Hospital Committee on Cancer.
Click in for additional information about specific cancers listed by ACS, and call the Elizabeth M. Pfriem SWIM Center for Cancer Care's referral line: 1-877-231-SWIM (7946) for more informaton.
Contact us
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To speak with a St. Vincent's Care Line representative, call (877) 255-7847
To speak with somone at the front desk of the Medical Center, please call (203) 576-6000
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