Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth has received The Joint Commission (TJC) certification for Advanced Palliative Care.
"Palliative Care is a multidisciplinary specialty providing comfort, care, and planning for patients and families facing serious illness. It has been shown to improve multiple patient and family outcomes", says Paula Chaloupka, MSN, RN, director of social work, care coordination and palliative care.
Baylor Fort Worth is the second Baylor facility to earn this distinction. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas was the first program in Texas – and one of the first 10 in the nation – to receive this certification from TJC in September 2013.
To be certified, Baylor Fort Worth's supportive and palliative care (SPC) program underwent an intensive process that included an on-site review, submission of quality metrics and evidence of effective, timely palliative care using a multidisciplinary team approach. The Joint Commission found no deficiencies in their review. The certification process demonstrates Baylor Fort Worth's commitment toward providing safe, high-quality patient centered, treatments and services for palliative care.
Baylor introduced supportive and palliative care a decade ago. SPC teams include physicians, advance practice nurses, social workers, chaplains, occupational therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, speech therapists, music practitioners, and volunteers trained to help patients and families who are facing critical illness issues. Both Baylor Dallas and Baylor Fort Worth have child life specialists who help the children and grandchildren of seriously ill patients cope with the impact of the illness.
The SPC program is growing significantly across Baylor Health Care System and will serve over 5,000 patients and their families this year. Currently, in addition to Baylor Fort Worth and Baylor Dallas, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano have full SPC programs. Four other Baylor hospitals are developing SPC programs, including Carrollton, Grapevine, Irving, and Garland.
Led by David Klein, MD, Baylor Fort Worth has more than 1,800 employees and a medical staff comprised of over 1,100 physicians representing nearly 25 specialties. Recently Baylor Fort Worth was recognized by U.S. News and World Report, The Joint Commission and Fort Worth Star-Telegram Readers. A full list of all awards and accreditations can be found on Baylorhealth.com/AllSaints.
Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System's subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth or Baylor Health Care System.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Mary Johnson
mary.johnson1@baylorhealth.edu
office: (817) 922-7088
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
