MDNews - Greater Boston

Cover Feature Good Samaritan Medical Center's Palliative Care Program F potentially life-limiting illnesses, palliative care can have a positive impact on quality of life. Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, in partnership with HopeHealth, has developed a palliative care team that has become a model for the region. The result is patients and their families have been able to gain a better understanding of their illnesses and make more informed decisions about care. or PatientS with Marcy Carty, Md, (left) vice President of Medical affairs for Good samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, and Kristin Clarkin, Md, (right) hope hospice's Medical director 6 | Greater Boston MD News ■ mdnewS.com "Our goals are to improve patients' quality of life and keep them at home, functioning and comfortable," says Kristin Clarkin, MD, Hope Hospice's Medical Director. Palliative care utilizes an array of medical services to prevent, or at least mitigate, the suffering of patients with life-limiting or chronic illnesses. It addresses many aspects of a patient's condition, including physical, psychological and spiritual needs with a focus on improving the quality of life of patients and their loved ones and ensuring clear communication regarding patients' care goals. Marcy Carty, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Good Samaritan Medical Center, sees the role of the Good Samaritan Pa lliative Care Program as going beyond offering clinical care by also providing education to patients, family members and even fellow physicians. "I came to Good Samaritan to be Chief Medical Officer two years ago and spent the next six months trying to build a palliative care program," she recalls. "We launched it in November 2012 and brought in Dr. Clarkin and some of her nurse practitioners. We've been educating the medical staff and wider community about palliative care throughout that time." Often confused with hospice, palliative care is not just focused on end-of-life treatment, both doctors stress. In fact, palliative care teams treat patients at all stages of a disease, including those who are receiving potentially curative treatment. Photos © ryan riChardson By eric slack

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