
Barbara Sproge, M.S.N., R.N., O.C.N., Clinical Educator of the Palliative Care Program at Cooper; Mark Angelo, M.D., F.A.C.P., Director, Palliative Care Program at CCI.
Cooper University Hospital is the recipient of a $10,000 grant on behalf of TD Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation. This generous donation will be used to support the Palliative Care Program at Cooper and its ongoing programs and services within the Cooper Cancer Institute (CCI).
“With the emerging trend of increasing palliative care access for patients across the nation, Cooper University Hospital was one of the first in the region to formally recognize the need for such care,” said Susan Bass Levin, President and CEO of The Cooper Foundation. “This grant will allow Cooper’s Palliative Care Program to continue to offer expert pain and symptom management plans to our patients, enhancing their quality of life.”
The Palliative Care Program at Cooper is led by a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, chaplains, child life therapists, dietitians and complementary medicine specialists all in care of each patient’s needs. The program, which was formally established in 2009, uses a holistic approach, establishing the goals of care and helping patients and the clinical care team in making decisions; assessing and managing symptoms and pain; and meeting the physical, emotional, spiritual and practical needs of seriously ill patients.
“The primary objective of this type of care is to provide the mechanisms needed for patients to achieve the highest quality of life possible while managing challenging, and often times painful, circumstances,” said Mark Angelo, MD, FACP, Director, Palliative Care Program at CCI. “The idea is to give patients what they need when they need it, no matter what their ultimate prognosis.”
Each treatment reflects the patient’s values and lifestyle and is created in conjunction with the patient’s medical treatment to ensure seamless care. The Palliative Care Team’s expertise allows them to work well together as they develop each patient’s individualized treatment plan.