New Palliative Care Unit opens on K6

UHS’ new Palliative Care Unit has opened on Krembs 6 at UHS Binghamton General Hospital.  The unit began admitting patients as of Aug. 1.  There are six private patient rooms, plus spaces for their loved ones to rest and recharge. 

In keeping with the UHS Values of Compassion and Respect, the unit is designed for patients who have end-of-life care needs that cannot be provided outside the hospital setting, as well as those who plan to transition to a home hospice program, hospice facility or skilled nursing facility.  Patients on the unit are those who have first been admitted to UHS Wilson Medical Center or UHS Binghamton General and have been evaluated by the UHS Palliative Medicine Service before being transferred to the PCU.

Patients on the unit receive regular visits from physicians, nurse practitioners and social workers from Palliative Medicine.  The patients are cared for as well by members of the UHS Hospitalist Service and by UHS nurses and allied health professionals with the interest and skills needed to provide end-of-life care.

“This unit aims to meet the physical and psychosocial needs of patients receiving comfort-focused, end-of-life care,” said Kris Marks, LCSW-R, administrative director of Palliative Care at UHS Hospitals.  “Patients are provided with symptom management and emotional support in a calm, compassionate environment.  Their loved ones are welcome on the unit and are offered appropriate resources and emotional support as well.”

Palliative care includes the care of persons in the last months of their lives for whom curative and restorative treatments are no longer appropriate.  It is an interdisciplinary approach to the care of patients who are facing the symptoms and stresses of complex and serious illnesses.  The full spectrum of this type of care helps patients of all ages and stages of disease to navigate their options in the context of their illnesses and their own values, goals and wishes.