University of Washington Launches Palliative Care Training Center

SEATTLE, Aug. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Palliative care programs are growing across the United States as the demand for this specialized form of medical care increases, creating an equally pressing need for a well-trained workforce that can provide high quality care. One such training program is about to get underway at the University of Washington, thanks to a grant from the Cambia Health Foundation. 

The Foundation has awarded $697,106 to the University of Washington to build a collaborative Palliative Care Training Center over the next three years. It will bring together palliative care stakeholders, including hospitals, hospices, nursing facilities and families from Washington to identify educational needs, goals, approaches and outcomes for a Palliative Care Training Center. The University will use the funds to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that will be implemented by expert faculty and to create a business plan that will sustain the Center for the long term. Expert faculty includes two former Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Award Winners, Drs. Anthony Back and Darrell Owens.

"The Cambia Health Foundation is committed to collaborating with other industry leaders on partnerships like this that will help prepare today's health care workforce to serve the palliative care needs of patients and their families in the future," said Peggy Maguire, President and Board Chair of the Cambia Health Foundation. "We are pleased to partner with a recognized leader like the University of Washington and others to realize our vision for creating an innovative palliative care training program that will last well beyond this initial pilot phase."

"I deeply appreciate Cambia Health Foundation's support and vision. The successful implementation of the grant will have a tremendous impact on our region by providing a uniformly high standard of palliative care practice through out the State of Washington. Our team is excited for the opportunity to collaboratively work with palliative care providers across the state to create a Palliative Care Training Center that provides cutting edge interdisciplinary education that can serve as a successful national model," said Stuart J. Farber, M.D., Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Clinical Operations Chair for Palliative Care Center of Excellence, University of Washington.

Other partners in this effort include the Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (WSHPCO), the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA).

About Palliative Care
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient's other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment.

About Cambia Health Foundation
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming the way people experience the health care system. A 501(c)3 grantmaking organization, the Foundation partners with organizations to create a more person-focused and economically sustainable health care system. Through its Sojourns program, the Foundation also works to enhance quality, improve access, advance innovation and facilitate conversations about palliative care and end-of-life issues. For more information, visit http://cambiahealthfoundation.org/ or www.twitter.com/cambiahealthfdn.

About UW Medicine
UW Medicine trains health professionals and medical scientists, conducts research to improve health and prevent disease worldwide, and provides primary and specialty care to patients throughout Seattle/King County and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region.  UW Medicine includes: Harborview Medical Center, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, UW Medical Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics, UW Physicians, UW School of Medicine and Airlift Northwest.  UW Medicine also shares in the ownership and governance of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance with Seattle Children's Hospital and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and shares in ownership of Children's University Medical Group with Seattle Children's Hospital.

UW Medicine has major academic and service affiliations with Seattle Children's Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Veteran's Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and the VA Hospital in Boise, Idaho.  The UW School of Medicine has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in primary-care training for the past 19 years by US News & World Report.  It is the top public institution for receipt of biomedical research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and second among all institutions for NIH funding, public and private.  UW Medicine's 2,000 full-time faculty and nearly 5,000 clinical faculty across the WWAMI program include three living Nobel Prize Winners (five in our history), 32 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 35 members of the Institute of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.  For more information, visit UW Medicine. Follow us on Twitter @UWMedicineNews and Facebook at facebook.com/uwmedicinenews.

SOURCE Cambia Health Foundation