Growing Trend in Health Care Works for Patients and Health Systems
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Emily Rohloff, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Liz Kopling, Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care Office:
(608) 327-7219 Cell: (608) 772-9653 liz.kopling@agrace.org
Cancer Survivors, Health Care Experts Urge Congress to Support Federal Palliative Care Legislation to Improve Patient Quality of Life
Madison, Wis. – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care hosted a public forum at Agrace in Fitchburg to highlight the critical need for palliative care programs and to urge Congress to support legislation that would improve the quality of life for cancer patients.
Palliative care is a growing field of specialized medical care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families by focusing on relief from pain, stress and other often debilitating symptoms of treatment for a serious disease such as cancer. It has been one of the fastest growing trends in American health care over the last decade and has the potential to deliver better care, better outcomes and lower costs.
“When my brother Bob was going through his treatment for lymphoma the one doctor who had palliative care training was the one doctor on the team with whom we had complete faith. She was our rock,” explained Madison area ACS CAN volunteer Jeff Bremer. “She knew Bob, his sense of humor, his toughness and his determination. It was her palliative care training that minimized Bob’s suffering and provided much needed counsel, support and compassion to me and our whole family.”
While Bremer’s brother ultimately lost his fight with cancer, palliative care is much more than end-of-life care and its patient-focused, coordinated approach is one for which advocates want all seriously ill patients to have access.
“Currently less than one third of cancer patients report ever having been asked by their doctors what’s important to them in terms of their treatment. This needs to change,” said Molly Daniels, deputy president of ACS CAN. “By passing strong legislation to help ensure patients know what palliative care is and that they have access to it, Congress has the opportunity to significantly improve a patient’s quality of life throughout their diagnoses and treatment.”
ACS CAN is supporting two bills currently introduced in Congress that would award grants to encourage training and continuing education for student and health professionals in the field of palliative care and make such care a standard protocol for cancer treatment (H.R. 1666 and S. 641, H.R. 1339). The legislation acts on clinical research from the American Cancer Society demonstrating that patients receiving palliative care spend less time in intensive care, have fewer hospital readmissions, and generally experience a better quality of life during treatment.
“Even while a patient’s doctor works to manage the progression of their illness through curative treatment, adding palliative care to the plan may help ease troubling symptoms and address the patient’s worries,” says Agrace Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Ostrov. “At Agrace we see the positive impact palliative care can have on both the patient and their loved ones.”
Despite the benefits, palliative care remains a mystery to many Americans. Recent public opinion research shows that 70 percent of Americans are “not at all knowledgeable” about palliative care. Yet, the survey also revealed once consumers understand that palliative care provides an increased emphasis on relief of symptoms, pain, and stress that is appropriate at any stage of serious illness, 92 percent said they think it should be available in hospitals nationwide.
Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Madison), Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) and Reid Ribble (R-Green Bay) have all signed on to co-sponsor both palliative care bills.
For more information on palliative care and the pending legislation visit: http://acscan.org/qualityoflife
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.
About Agrace
Founded in 1978, Agrace is a nonprofit, community-based hospice and palliative care agency dedicated to providing exceptional care and support to patients and families facing the challenges of serious illness. With offices in Madison and Janesville, Agrace serves more than 650 patients every day in southern Wisconsin.
