Palliative Care
Caring for a seriously ill child can have a devastating impact on the entire family. Our Susan Willoughby Palliative Care Team is ready to assist families who find themselves in this difficult situation. Care is provided by specially trained physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists and therapists.
We are here to help by:
- working with your child’s medical team to coordinate your child’s care
- ensuring that you have all the information you need to make decisions that are right for your child and family
- providing expert pain and symptom management
- making referrals to other professionals, as needed
Can the Palliative Care Team help you and your child?
- Do you feel your child's treatment is becoming increasingly burdensome?
- Has there been a decline in your child's medical condition?
- Are your child's hospital stays becoming more frequent?
- Do you feel confused by the information you receive from your child's care providers?
- Is your child's pain and or other symptoms becoming difficult to manage?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Palliative care includes services and medical care that are intended to improve the quality of life and reduce symptoms, such as pain, in patients who have a life-threatening or terminal condition. The AAP supports starting palliative care along with curative care, if appropriate, at the time of diagnosis.”
The goal is to add life to the child's years, not simply years to the child's life.
Contact Palliative Care
Valley Children’s Susan Willoughby Palliative Care Team
559-353-8667