Webinar: Supporting People with Serious Illness during the Pandemic: The Growing Need for Palliative Care
The value of supporting individuals with serious illness through care management and planning, behavioral and physical symptom relief, and other added supports has been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers are now grappling with how to restructure hard-hit health care systems to better support individuals with serious and complex needs. As state budgets shrink, palliative care may be an important part of the answer. With funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, NASHP hosted a webinar to discuss state policies and recommendations to support the future of palliative care.
The webinar featured Diane Meier, a leading palliative care expert, who discussed how the pandemic is changing the role of palliative care. Lauren Thompson, BSN, RN, Clinical Operations Nurse Consultant with the Office of Cost Control and Quality Improvement at Colorado’s Department of Health Care Financing and Policy, reviewed what the state has done to support palliative care and why it is important to state health systems.
Moderator:
Kitty Purington, Senior Program Director, NASHP
Speakers:
Amy Berman, Senior Program Officer, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Salom Teshale, Policy Associate, NASHP
Diane Meier, Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care
Lauren Thompson, BSN, RN, Clinical Operations Nurse Consultant, Office of Cost Control & Quality Improvement, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
