South New Castle News

Bayhealth Medical Center issued the following announcement on July 15.

Bayhealth expanded its palliative care services program with the opening of an outpatient palliative care program at 103 Wolf Creek Blvd. Suite 2, Dover, Delaware on June 25, 2020. The program has continued to grow since it launched in the inpatient setting in 2016. 

Palliative care is medical care for patients suffering from the pain and symptoms stemming from a serious illness. Palliative care isn’t hospice, nor is it end-of-life care. Rather it’s a service that aims to help quell a patient’s suffering and improve the quality of their life regardless of the stage of the illness. More specifically, palliative care provides relief from symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue. It also helps patients better understand their condition and choices and improve their ability to live their life.

“We’re incredibly proud of the growth we’ve seen with palliative care at Bayhealth,” says Nurse Practitioner Theresa Latorre-Tegtmeier. “This is a much-needed service that we’re providing to our community, and it ties into our strategic goal of growing and developing quality programs across the region.”

With the opening of the new outpatient palliative care program, patients now have access to half-day clinics on Mondays and Thursdays. The office may be reached by phone at 302-725-3211 or by fax at 302-730-3047. Any hospital provider and community physician can refer patients to the program by calling, faxing or by making an electronic referral through Epic.

There are several patients in the community who are chronically ill. This is precisely why Director of Patient Care Services Sharon Urban says outpatient palliative care is a needed service. “People are living longer, but at the same time so many people are living with chronic diseases and are chronically ill. We’re here to help them manage their symptoms and live the best life they can. It’s wonderful that we’re able to offer this to the community,” Urban said.

“With this change, we’re offering patients the ability to continue care outside of the hospital. Currently there’s a lack of resources in the community, and we’re hoping to fill that hole with our resources,” says Clinical Nurse Specialist Jessica Taylor. In the future, the Palliative Care team, which also includes Nurse Practitioner Suzette Flores, plans to provide outpatient services in Milford.

Visit Bayhealth.org/Palliative-Care for more information on the Palliative Care Program at Bayhealth. Contact Theresa Latorre-Tegtmeier at Theresa_Latorre_Tegtmeier@Bayhealth.org if you have specific questions about this program. Talk to your primary care physician to see if you’re a candidate for palliative care at Bayhealth.

Original source can be found here

Source: Bayhealth Medical Center